National Park De Hoge Veluwe is one of the Netherlands' oldest and largest national parks. It consists of no less than 5,500 hectares of woodland, heathland, lakes and driftsand.

History

The history of National Park De Hoge Veluwe is one of idealism and vision. The Park is a cultural bequest which was established at the start of the twentieth century by Anton Kröller and his wife Helene Kröller-Müller. Anton was a successful businessman. He was a keen huntsman, and consequently bough a hunting estate - De Hoge Veluwe - in 1909. She was an enthusiastic art-lover and collected art. Together they had a vision on which they based their philosophy of life: to bring together nature and culture for the common good.

The foundations for the current park were laid between 1909 and 1923. The park was fenced, and animals were brought in (moufflon, red deer and wild boar). The family's home, the St. Hubertus Hunting Lodge, was built. Works of art were acquired. They also started building a museum to house the art collection at this time.

However, the economy worsened in around 1923. Anton had to suspend construction of the museum. The situation worsened and the family was unable to maintain the estate. A solution to the problem was found in 1935, when the art collection was donated to the State of the Netherlands.

The State built the museum: this is the old part of the current Kröller-Müller Museum. The Park was handed over to a foundation: National Park De Hoge Veluwe. The State granted the foundation an interest-bearing mortgage.

The Museum and the Park remain two separate organisations to this day. Although the responsibilities are split, there is a great deal of collaboration. This is unavoidable, since the guiding principle, the founders' philosophy, remains the same: to bring together nature and culture for the common good.