Sonsbeek Park

Sonsbeek is an estate park running up the Veluwe scarp from the centre of Arnhem, and it has something almost no other Dutch park has: relief and running water. Groundwater from the ice-pushed ridge behind emerges in springs on the slope and the eighteenth and nineteenth-century owners used it - a chain of ponds, cascades and small waterfalls runs down through the park, with a water mill, a hermitage, a Swiss chalet, and the Belvedere tower on the highest point looking over Arnhem and the Rhine. It was laid out in the English landscape manner and bought by the city in 1899. Since 1949 Sonsbeek has hosted a recurring international sculpture exhibition, held every few years and one of the older outdoor art events in Europe, which leaves work behind in the park. Zypendaal and Gulden Bodem adjoin it, so the green runs on.

What you actually see

• Running water on a slope - springs feeding cascades down the Veluwe scarp.
• A watermill and a Belvedere - the estate buildings, with a view over Arnhem.
• An English landscape park - laid out in the 1800s and bought by the city in 1899.
• Sculpture from the exhibitions - work left behind by the recurring Sonsbeek shows.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The waterfalls are small - this is relative, not Alpine. The park is hilly by Dutch standards and the climb is real. The Belvedere and mill keep limited hours. Exhibition years change the park considerably.

Nearby

Arnhem centre and the Eusebius church are south; Kasteel Rosendael is east.