Winterswijk Town Hall (Stadhuis)

The former town hall of Winterswijk stands on the Mevrouw Kuipers-Rietbergplein in the centre of the town, and it now houses the tourist information office, which is run largely by volunteers. Winterswijk is in the Achterhoek, the rural region of eastern Gelderland close to the German border, and its visitors come for walking, cycling, nature and an unusual geological heritage. The old town hall is a useful first stop for finding out what to see and do.

The building belongs to the administrative history of the town, which has roots going back about a thousand years and developed particularly in the nineteenth century as a centre of the textile industry. Cotton and linen weaving brought prosperity, and mills and factories sprang up around the town, providing work for families from the surrounding countryside. The imposing public buildings of the time reflect that wealth. Although the municipal offices have moved elsewhere, the old town hall remains a landmark of the centre.

The tourist office offers maps, route descriptions and advice on accommodation, activities and local attractions. Staff and volunteers who know the area well can suggest cycling and walking routes through the varied landscape, which includes small fields divided by hedges and tree lines, estates and woodland. The office is open Monday to Saturday, with a break during the Christmas and New Year holidays, and entry is free.

Winterswijk has a very special feature: its quarry. The rocks exposed here are from the Triassic period, about two hundred and forty million years old, and the quarry has yielded fossils of marine reptiles, fish and the footprints of animals, which are of international importance. The local museum Museum Freriks presents the finds, together with the story of the town and the region. Visitors interested in geology and fossils will find the area rewarding. Other sights include Museum Het Hoogeland, the church of Sint-Stephanus and Kasteel Ruurlo, which is within reach.

The town hall suits visitors planning their stay and wanting local knowledge, and it makes a convenient starting point for a walk through the centre. Ask for the walking route through the old town and for cycling maps. Winterswijk is best explored by bicycle, and rental shops offer ordinary and electric bikes.