Oost Gelre is a municipality in the northeast of the Achterhoek, Gelderland, Netherlands.
Oost Gelre itself hasn't got a lot of history. The municipality has only been around since January 2005, being created out of the former municipalities of Groenlo and Lichtevoorde. The municipality was initially called Groenlo, but was renamed to Oost Gelre 17 months after its creation.
Aside from Groenlo and Lichtevoorde, Oost Gelre also includes the villages of Eefsele, Harreveld, Lievelde, Mariënvelde, Vragender, Zieuwent and Zwolle.
When travelling from Utrecht or the Randstad, use the A12 to get towards Arnhem. Having passed Arnhem and Zevenaar, use the Oud Dijk Interchange to turn onto the A18 follow this highway past Doetinchem, and at its end, turn left to turn onto the N18. This road will first take you to Lichtenvoorde, after which it will guide you to Groenlo.
When travelling from the Northern Netherlands, use the E232/A28 to get to Hoogeveen, where you head onto the N48 at the Hoogeveen Interchange. Take a left turn on the first roundabout you meet. You'll now find yourself on the N36 driving towards Almelo. At the end of the N36, you turn onto the A35 heading for Enschede. You then take exit 26 (Enschede-West), and turn left towards the city itself. You then take the first exit followed by a right turn. Follow the road you now find yourself on (Afinkstraat/Usselerrondweg) and turn right onto the N18 once you meet it. Follow the N18, which will first guide you towards Groenlo, followed by Lichtenvoorde.
To get to Oost-Gelre, which counts a grand total of one train station, travel from either the Zutphen or Arnhem Centraal train station, heading for Winterswijk. From Zutphen this will get to directly to the Lichtenvoorde-Groenlo train station. When travelling from Arnhem, head to Winterswijk or Zwolle. When travelling to Winterswijk, switch trains in Winterswijk, heading for Zwolle. Again, get off at the Lichtenvoorde-Groenlo station. From this station, you can take a bus going directly to Lichtenvoorde or Groenlo.
Though Groenlo and Lichtenvoorde themselves can easily be discovered by foot or bike, taking a car or bus when exploring the whole of Oost Gelre isn't a bad idea at all. You can use 9292 when planning your travels by public transport.
From Oost Gelre, the cities of Doetinchem, Enschede, Winterswijk and Zutphen can easily be reached in about 30 minutes when travelling by car. The same goes for these cities, excluding Enschede, when travelling by train. From Groenlo, a hop across the border into Münsterland may be rewarding, especially when taking into consideration that stunningly beautiful cities such as Dülmen can be reached within an hour.
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