Bennekom - Geography

Geography

The low flat marshy area between the village and the Grift, called the Binnenveld, represents the path of a glacier in the last Ice Age. It forms part of the Gelder Valley, which runs from the Lower Rhine between Wageningen and Rhenen (Province of Utrecht) and the IJsselmeer near Amersfoort. The marshes west of Bennekom village were drained about the 13th Century. Much of the peat has been removed, leaving areas of clay soil. The area is watered by artesian springs from higher ground to the east of the village. The main drainage brooks are the Nergenase Beek and the Hoekelumse Beek. The ancient farmsteads in the Binnenveld and the hamlet of the Kraats stand on higher areas, the remains of dunes blown there at the end of the Ice Age.

The higher ground to the east of the village is sandy and stony moraine pushed aside by the glacier. These less fertile soils are covered with birch and pine forest, heathland, and some arable land suitable for less demanding crops such as oats and maize.

The village stands on an ancient north–south trade route, which follows the 15 m contour. Just west of the village runs the north–south N781 highway, linking Wageningen to Ede and to the A12 motorway, which provides easy access to Holland in the west and Germany in the east. The A12 was built for strategic reasons during World War II and the N781 was constructed after the war. Wageningen has the largest inland port in the Netherlands, providing supplies that pass through Bennekom for the farming industry in the Veluwe. The A12 now partly forms the border between Bennekom parish and the town of Ede. North of the motorway, the estate of Hoekelum falls under Bennekom.

The village also has good access to the railway between Utrecht and Arnhem (both 15–20 minutes away) with the station Ede-Wageningen at the southern edge of Ede. The bus service 86 runs from Arnhem via Wageningen and Bennekom to the railway station. Until the 1960s, a steam tramway from the railway station ran to Wageningen through the centre of Bennekom, carrying both passengers and goods.

South-east of the village in the forested area is a post-war development, Wageningen-Hoog, with large villas and extensive grounds. South of the village, the green belt separating Bennekom from the built-up area of Wageningen is only a few hundred metres wide.