"Residential quality nearby Utrecht" Zeist by Renescheffer

ZEIST

Zeist, 60.000 inhabitants. 10 km east of Utrecht. Also the little villages of Den Dolder, Austerlitz and Bosch en Duin/Huis ter Heide belong to the community of Zeist. In Zeist there is a 18 century castle/mansionhouse "petit Versailles" The Slot Zeist, a museum in it, a big park and the most important: a one km. long allee, the Slotlaan, with broad red stoned sideways, some terraces and a lot of shops on the two sites.
I live in Zeist since 1980 and i work at the townhall. Optionally i can give VT members a short guided tour trough some nice meetingrooms of the Townhall (1917).
Zeist doesnt have a (medievial) center. People in Zeist mention different options for the real citycenter:

1. The square Het Rond with townhall hotel/rest/cinema FIGI, Postoffice and Grand cafe /rest. Hermitage. This square is upgradeded since december 2004.

2. The Slotlaan, for sa great shopping experience;

3. The Emmaplein square. A campy mix of George and Mildred like working class shops, some upmarket shops like Duetz and Fish/Vossole and a terrible traffic situation and some stone walls where young people, Maroccan people and houswives eat their fisch and icecream.

4. The Belcour square behind V&D.

STAYING IN ZEIST / SURROUNDINGS

In Zeist ?

You can visit:
Walkart park, Dieptetuin (nice garden), Slotcastle / museum/garden, pannekoekenhuis (pancake), t' Jagershuys; in 2007 or later Johfra museum, bicycle tours in direction of Austerlitz, Bunnik and Driebergen through woods and meadow landscape.

In fact Zeist is an ideal stay for exploring cities as Utrecht (20 min. bus), Amsterdam (55 min. bus and train), The Hague (60 min. bus and train), Rotterdam (55 min bus and train) and Amersfoort (25 min bus).

The 4 star hotel FIGI offers great deals in weekends en some periods in the year: www.figi.nl. It is opposite the townhall and it renewed her terrace opposite the townhall succesfully. It has hosted many celabrities in past and recent years, such as Gorbachov, queen Beatrix, Lybian ministers (because of the Lockerby trial), Laura Fygi, Max Euwe, prime minister Ruud Lubbers, Christina Branco and many others.

The train station is 4 km from the city center (buses reach it in 10 min)
and there is a "park and ride".

For Dutchies: go to www. zeistermagazine.nl for more social, politic and human interest info about Zeist.

Cheesemarket/65 min by car

SOCCER
The FC Utrecht and AJAX stadiums are in a distance of less then 40 min travel. Feijenoord and PSV are about 70 min (by train).

CHEESEMARKET ALKMAAR
Almost the other side of the country....but because of the central position of Zeist, Alkmaar is only 65 min by car !

ZOO's
Zeist has a central position for visiting ZOO's !
Amersfoort ZOO in 20 min, Ouwehand Rhenen ZOO in 25 min, Burgers ZOO in Arnhem 35 min.

"BIG RIVER" LANDSCAPE:
Not very particular i thought...but that is because i was born on the shore of the Rhine and everything in my former hometown, Renkum (near Arnhem) was normal in my opinion. But now, when driving on a bridge over the Rhine, Waal or Maas i must aknowledge what a special landscape this is, unbeatable and never seen elsewhere in Europa. And this landscape is only 20 min by car from Zeist; the first landmarks are Wijk Bij Duurstede and Culemborg and further on Tiel and Zaltbommel.

The Pyramide

AUSTERLITZ
Hidden in the forest of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug, lay's the small village of austerlitz. With its 1550 inhabitants, a ideal resting point. A village with a rich history. Austerlitz lay's at the east side of Utrecht in the village triangle Driebergen-Rijsenburg, Zeist and Woudenberg. Very close to the village lay's the monument "De pyramide van Austerlitz". In the forest wich surround the village has various possibilities for walking and off-road biking. In the center of the village lay's the restaurant Bonaparte" where you can rest out from your walk.

The history of the town goes back until 1804. In that year gathered sir Marmont al the French and Dutch soldiers who were all over Holland, on the moors at Seist. A place ideal for practice and in the center of Holland so that thy could very easily move to all over Holland. Before the soldiers left they build a Pyramid to onner Napoleon, when they left, they leaved a few soldiers to help the citizens. On the moors where at that time three small villages all part of a division. In those villages lived the people who sold things for the soldiers. The towns are cold: Petit Ville, Marmontville and Bois-en-Ville. In 1806, King Lodewijk decides that the three villages have to flow together to one town. The town should have the name Austerlitz. The Pyramid who lay's at three kilometers from the village, was cold till so far the Marmont mountain, from that time on it have the name The Pyramid From Austerlitz.

DEN DOLDER
Den Dolder has 5500 inhabitants. This village is part of the community Zeist too. What to tell about Den Dolder ? Is has a trainstation on the Amersfoort -Utrecht line. There are few shops and some good restaurants, for example ANAK DEPOK and SENSO. The are institutes for mentally ill people and for juvenile delinquents. Perhaps later: more info.

• Pros:quiet, a lot of shops, some fine restaurants, parks
• Cons:not a real city center, before 12 hrs and after 19. hrs too queit
• In a nutshell:Due to its central position and some more an ideal town for exploring the Netherlands