Vechtdal route begs tourists to explore old freight route

HARDENBERG - Tourism agencies increasingly promote cross border routes that extol the beauty of areas easily missed otherwise. One such area is the so-called Vechtdal, the Vecht valley, which straddles the river Vecht between the German town of Darfeld and the Hanseatic city of Hasselt, a 223-kilometre distance. The river meanders down through Overijssel’s countryside to the Zwartewater estuary, which in turn flows into the former Zuiderzee. The river Vecht at one time was a freight route from Germany to Dutch hanseatic league cities Zwolle and Hasselt with river harbours at Hardeberg, Ommen and Dalfsen. For decades these cities blocked plans for the Dedemsvaart, which was dug in the early 1800s. The Vechtdal route has been divided into seven sections and is featured on www.vechtdalroute.nl.