Wilbertoord brings together a history shaped by the reclamation of the Princepeel and practical ways to discover the town and its surroundings. A six-kilometre walking trail, a route through several landscapes, memorials and the recurring Wilbertoord Pakt Uut festival offer different perspectives for planning your trip.
Walking trails and landscape
The Ommetje Wilbertoord is a six-kilometre walking trail. It follows a forest path around the “zilvermeer”.
The “Wilbertoord, Langenboom, Sint Hubert” route has a different focus. It runs through the Langenboom forests and the De Maurik nature area, across the fields around Haps and Sint Hubert, through Wilbertoord and on to the Molenheide forests. The landscapes and places along the way take centre stage here. When comparing the routes, their courses differ: the Ommetje covers six kilometres on the forest path around the “zilvermeer”, while the “Wilbertoord, Langenboom, Sint Hubert” route passes through several named landscapes and places.
The landscape around Wilbertoord includes forests, grassland, heathland and inland dunes. When planning, you can therefore consider both the course of a specific route and the landscape features of the surrounding area.
The Princepeel and local history
Wilbertoord owes its origins to the reclamation of the Princepeel. The statue “De turfsteker” in the town centre commemorates the settlement’s beginnings, when the heathland of the Princepeel was reclaimed. The “Turfsteker” statue was unveiled in 1995 on St. Josephplein to mark the 50th anniversary of Vereniging Wilbertoord. In this way, the town’s history and the association’s anniversary come together in a local memorial. Reclamation means making land suitable for human use. Here, the term links the Princepeel to Wilbertoord’s origins and explains the town’s historical foundation.
Landgoed Princepeel is also part of this history. It was sold at public auction in 1864 and has since been managed and inhabited by tenants and owners as a single, intact estate. Huize Princepeel, the country house on Landgoed Princepeel, was built in 1870. The history of the estate thus includes both a public sale and the construction of a specific country house.
Another monument is located in Wilbertoord/Defensiekanaal: “Wilbertoord – Groespeelweg – Peel Raamstelling”. The monument’s designation is dated 1 November 2004. Its name and location provide another specific point of reference in the town’s history.
Wilbertoord Pakt Uut
Wilbertoord Pakt Uut is a traditional recurring festival featuring a classic vehicle show, a music festival, trade markets, motocross demonstrations and activities for children. It offers an event-related reason to visit alongside the trails and historical themes. If you are planning to make the festival the reason for your trip, check the event dates in advance.
Discover other destinations: Mill.
View the broader travel overview: Mill En Sint Hubert.
