"National Park the "Hoge Veluwe", art of... " a Nationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe Travel Page by Pavlik_NL

Just North of Arnhem is the largest National Park (in land mass, as the Waddensea is even bigger, but contains mainly water) in the Netherlands. It's also the oldest national park in my country and part of the Veluwe-area. But it's more then just a National Park (naturereserve). This hilly part of the province of Gelderland, roughly stretches out between Arnhem (South) and Kampen (North) and Nijkerk (West) and Zutphen (East). It consists of a large forest that is mixed with large rough grounds (heatherfields, steppe-like plains and the unique drift sands). A natural environment that doesn't have an equal in Europe ... I'ld also say the world.

About a century ago, a very rich industrial Dutch family married into an equally rich German family and together had a very special way of looking at the world. Misses Kroller-Muller had an exquisit view on art and collected masterpieces as well as items from that time, for example Van Gogh and Picasso. The collection as it is now shows an great visionary view on art.
Mister Kroller-Muller was crazy about nature and hunting (then still not in conflict in the eyes of the masses). Both they decided to find their home on a large terrain just North of Arnhem, where they also built (one of) their home(s). Here is where they created a wildlife-reserve, without knowing or ... (did they knew exactly what they were doing). In the middle of the large forest and rough grounds they built a modern huntinglodge, representing the form of a cross, within the horns of a deer. This following the ancient legend of Saint Hubertus. As only hunting took place on their grounds, the forest evolved into a place that had more nature then anywhere within the always so orderly Netherlands.

However, what they for sure were aware of was the value of art and they collected an big collection of paintings (Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Cezanne and many more of great fame). As leaving no hears to their wealth, the last will was that their land became State Property, with the condition that it would become a National Park and their art would be exposed to the public in a museum in this park. Thanks to the family Kroller-Muller on the Veluwe now is a amazing place where art meets nature ... or should I say nature meets art.