Berkelland is a versatile and alive - municipality with more than 45,000 inhabitants and 20,000 jobs. Professionalism, co-operation and good communication are very important to the local administration.
Berkelland is a recent municipality developed from the municipalities Eibergen, Neede, Ruurlo and Borculo. It covers an area of 260 square kilometers. Berkelland is on the border to the provinces Gelderland and Overijssel, and borders at the same time on Germany.
Tourism
Ever more tourist discover the temptations of the municipality Berkelland. Apart from beautiful nature there are many objects of interest. Thus there is a beautiful watermill built in the year 1628 in the city Borculo beside many different museums. Nowadays the Michelin star restaurant 'De Stenen Tafel' receives their guests in that mill.
In the museum `de Scheper' in Eibergen shows the copied farm 'de Vuurrever' the life from past days. Here one shows, how humans and animal lived together under one roof. Also in Eibergen there is a Watermill, `de Mallumse molen', a idyllic small spot at the Berkel bank.
As also in the other villages nature is in Neede one of the most important attractions. `De Needse berg' is a geological find-spot. 'The Needse Achterveld' is a special nature reservation. The environment of the country house `Huize de Kamp' forms a beautiful area to walk.
Ruurlo
In Ruurlo there is a wonderful forest area for walking arround. In the beautiful castle 'Huize Ruurlo' is a large park.
Neede
Neede is famous of the annually marmalade market `Nationale Jammarkt'. An attendance of the castle `Huize de Kamp' is worthwhile. Also is a trip into the national nature reservation `Het Needse Achterveld’.
Landscape
Berkelland is in the forest-rich area between Drente and Veluwe. The land aristocracy had a substantial portion in the development of the environment. The landscape is dominated by its numerous rivers and historical village and town centres.
Economic structure
In Berkelland there are 18 industrial zones with a surface of altogether 275 ha.
Currently there are more than 5 hectars land for the settlement from enterprises to the order. The municipality Berkelland marks itself by a variation-rich economic structure. Thus there is the world largest wooden shoe factory in Beltrum and in Ruurlo high tech technologies of the company Bronkhorst.
In the sector of the economy trade and industry are to be found a third of the jobs. A further third works in the service sector and the last third in the building, transport and tourism industry as well as in the agriculture.
Connections
The N18 and the N315 are the most important roads of the municipality Berkelland. They connect the region with the surrounding municipalities and indirectly offer them a connection to the German roads.
Within the coming years the federal highway N18 Varsseveld – Enschede further expanded. There are good connections by bus and train to the cities Apeldoorn, Zutphen, Deventer, the cities in the Twenteregion and Arnhem/Nijmegen.