Ooij: Find a Holiday Apartment
Accommodation in Ooij
Holiday Apartment in Ooij: Polder Landscape and Local History
Ooij represents a landscape where river history and brickmaking traditions lie closely side by side. The Ooijpolder is an extensive polder landscape in the floodplains of the Waal and an important part of the De Gelderse Poort National Landscape. If you are planning a holiday apartment in Ooij, you will discover a place where nature, outdoor activities and local history shape varied days on holiday.
Walking through the Ooijpolder
The Ommetje Ooij circular route is a partially unpaved, 7.5 km walking trail through the Ooijpolder. It follows winding dikes and rural farm tracks while also exploring the history of how the river landscape came into being. The circular route also conveys the cultural history of Ooij as a former workers’ village that remained associated with brick production well into the 1970s.
The landscape offers more than open polder areas: Wild horses, beavers and large geese can be found in the Ooijpolder, and Galloway cattle also graze there. A large area invites visitors to explore freely and features an observation tower. Along the Ooijroute, you can also discover old river channels, floodplains, clay pits, marshland and unique river dunes.
Traces of the Brickmaking Industry
A prominent building in the village is the Sint Hubertuskerk in Ooij. The neo-Gothic church was built in 1904–05 to a design by Caspar Franssen (1860–1932).
The Tiengeboden also tell the story of the region’s working life. Their name derives from two rows of five houses each, built back-to-back, which were constructed for workers at Steenfabriek De Vlietberg. The Tiengeboden are workers’ houses built by the brickworks along the dike. The former Steenfabriek De Vlietberg was built in 1873 and closed in 1975. Today, only its truncated chimney, directors’ house and carriage house remain.
In the center of Ooij, at the intersection of Bleistraat and Kon. Julianalaan, stands the “De Ballenmaker” monument, which commemorates brick production in the surrounding area. The Stichting Van Steen en Natuur is committed to preserving the cultural-historical brickmaking landscape in the Ooijpolder and aims to familiarize visitors with this cultural landscape, which is unique in the Netherlands.
Cycling in the Footsteps of History
Steenfabriek De Ooij is a stop on the “Steengoed – Fietsen door de Ooijpolder en Lingewaard” cycling tour.
What May Be Important for Your Holiday Apartment in Ooij
When choosing your holiday apartment in Ooij, you can decide what to focus on during your stay: The Ommetje Ooij combines walking with cultural and river history, while the Ooijpolder and the Ooijroute place natural features and wildlife observation at the center. Those particularly interested in the region’s past will find several different themes to incorporate into their plans, including the Sint Hubertuskerk, the Tiengeboden, “De Ballenmaker” and the former brickworks. The Huiskamercafé and restaurant at Oortjeshekken are intended for hotel guests and passers-by.
For further travel planning, you can also discover Beek-Ubbergen and Ubbergen.
To the higher-level travel overview: Ubbergen.
