Doetinchem

The first known mention of Doetinchem dates from 838 AD. Not long after the town became fortified and got a church that was part of the Episcopal principality of Utrecht. Most due to local dialect not being well-documented during this time, many variations of Doetinchem exist.
Doetinchem began to grow in the twelfth century. A city wall was erected to defend against the many attempts of pillaging. Doetinchem got its city rights in 1236, which allowed for raising of the city walls by a metre. The then barriers by the wall became the four city gates. Several moats were dug around the town, all of which got its water from the Slingebeek, connecting to the Oude IJssel river directly south of the city. Doetinchem became a centre of trade with many sorts of markets being organised on the Markt, the current Simonsplein. Doetinchem at this time had become one of the five most notable cities in the County of Zutphen. A large fire in 1527 destroyed most documents of the city. The city wall was demolished not long after the Eighty Years' War or Dutch Independence War. Doetinchem didn't see a lot of wars, nor war-related damages until the Second World War.
Even though like most European cities occupied by Nazi-Germany during the Second World War Doetinchem saw nearly all of its Jewish population disappear to never return again, the Second War was surprisingly light on the city until 1945. Some prisoners of war were executed by the Nazis in the city as a response to a raid on Putten, nine Dutch Jews, ought to be better than other Jews by the Dutch National Socialist Movement (NSB) saw special protection granted to them in Villa Bouchina, a villa north of the city centre. The war only really hit the city on the 19th, 21st and 23rd of March 1945, when allied planes bombed the city centre, which was set alight once more and pretty much wiped off the face of the earth afterwards. The first bombing by the British (March 19th) destroyed a small airfield southeast of the city as well as a German transmission post. The second British bombing, two days later, is assumed to have been an accident. Doetinchem would have been thought to have been Anholt or Isselburg across the border in Germany. Target of the third bombing, executed by Americans, is thought to have targeted German fortifications, though proof of these, if they even had been erected in the first place, has been successfully bombed out of existence. Barely two weeks after the last bombing, on April second, the city fell into allied hands after severe battles between the Canadians and Germans.
During the rebuilding of Europe that followed after the war, Doetinchem grabbed its chance and successfully grew larger than its 'rivals' Doesburg, Winterswijk and Zutphen, becoming the de facto capital of the Achterhoek. Modern day Doetinchem is still undergoing this urban sprawl to some extend. The city no longer aims to expand beyond its current borders, but instead wants to optimise its usage of the space it already takes up, which in turn leads to better usage of the river banks near the city centre, as well as other useful spots in the city.

Tourist Office

• VVV Doetinchem

  phone: +31 314 335 557
  address: Burg. van Nispenstraat 2, 7001 BS, Doetinchem

By car

When travelling from Utrecht, Gouda and The Hague, use the A12 in the direction of Utrecht and Arnhem. Having reached Arnhem, you will have to stay on the A12 heading for the German border and the city of Osnabrück. After passing Zevenaar (exit 29), use the Oud-Dijk Interchange to turn onto the A18. Exits 3 and 4 on this highway service Doetinchem.
When travelling from Duisburg, Oberhausen and Essen, use Autobahn 3 in the direction of Wesel. Once you cross the German-Dutch border, use exit 30 (Beek) followed by a right turn onto the N812 in order to visit Doetinchem. Next, turn left onto the N335, after which you follow the signs directing you to Doetinchem via the A18. Again, Exits 3 and 4 of this highway service Doetinchem, but only exit 4 services the city centre.

By train

The best way to get to Doetinchem by train is to travel via Arnhem, with the only alternatives being travelling via Winterswijk, which takes around twenty minutes longer, but can be advised if you'd like to see the Achterhoek's countryside or have a bit of time to waste. Optionally, you could also take a bus when travelling from Zutphen, which may on occasion be five minutes quicker than the train. Doetinchem as a city has two stations, the main station, is the main bus hub of the city as well. services the mostly residential districts of De Huet and Dichteren. The municipality of Doetinchem has two more stations, and . The stations that see service from Arriva and Breng have trains going either direction down the line every fifteen minutes, while stations seeing only service by Arriva have a service with only two trains either direction per hour. These stations can be reached by getting an Arriva train to Winterswijk or the Breng train to Doetinchem from Arnhem Centraal, or by taking the Arriva train to Winterswijk from Zutphen, followed by the Arriva train to Arnhem from Winterswijk. The latter is, however, as mentioned above, the slower option.
When taking a train from Germany, first travel to Düsseldorf or another train station serviced by the Abellio RE 19 train to Arnhem (Arnheim). Düsseldorf in particular sees several ICE trains stop per day. Once on this service, exit at the first Dutch train station, which will be Zevenaar. Here, wait for either the Breng train to Doetinchem or the Arriva train to Winterswijk.

By boat

Doetinchem is located along the Oude IJssel river. When visiting Doetinchem by boat you can moor in Jachthaven(Marina) De Ank

Regional transport: Regional buses are serviced by Arriva.

• Stadsmuseum

  phone: +31 314 335 557
  address: Burgemeester van Nispenstraat 2
  Has both a permanent and changing collection of expositions, along with a large scale model of Doetinchem anno 1945

• Stadscentrum Doetinchem

  address: Simonsplein
  The city centre still has a large amount of buildings that survived the three bombings of March 1945. The buildings are sprouted throughout the entire city centre.

• Openbaar Vervoer en Speelgoedmuseum

  phone: +31 314 395 106
  address: Stationsstraat 50
  Has both a permanent and changing offer of expositions and material about public transport in Doetinchem, especially the Geldersche Tramwegen (GTW). It recently expanded its exposition to include a collection of old toys as well.

• Stadion de Vijverberg

  phone: +31 314 368 450
  address: Lijsterbeslaan 101-A
  Football stadium of not only de Graafschap (Jupiler League (Dutch Secondary League)), but for UEFA Women's Euro 2017 as well.

• De Walmolen

  phone: +31 6 20226026
  address: IJsselkade 30

• Kasteel de Kelder

  phone: +31 314 343 285
  address: Kelderlaan 11
  Hagen, better known as Castle De Kelder, is a former manor with estate located on the river dunes north of the Oude IJssel river, in between the city Doetinchem and the Kruisberg Forest.

• Saint Catharinachurch

  address: Simonsplein 25
  Main church of Doetinchem. It was completely broken down after it was damaged severely after the 1945 bombings, and rebuilt completely in the following years.

• Kasteel de Slangenburg

  phone: +31 315 298 200
  address: Kasteellaan 6
  Slangenburg is a castle in the Dutch municipality of Doetinchem, located about three kilometers outside of the city itself.

• Sint Willibrords Abdij

  phone: +31 315 298 268
  address: Abdijlaan 1
  Explore the life in a Benedictan monastery. The chapel is open all day for everyone. Attending prayers is possible.

Cinemas and Theatres

• Schouwburg Amphion

  phone: +31 314 376 000
  address: Hofstraat 159

• De Gruitpoort

  phone: +31 314 340 943
  address: Hofstraat 2
  Centrum for art, culture and artistic expression.

• Vue Doetinchem

  phone: +31 314 361 903
  address: Hofstraat 155
  Cinema just outside of the city centre. Showings in Dutch and English with Dutch subitles (marked: OT).

• Once a year a street theatre event called Buitengewoon is held. It offers a wide variety of big and small street theatre groups which perform in the city centre for several days.
• Huntenkunst is another event, which is more focused at artworks. It is held once every two years around the Houtkamphal. The committee of the event wants to ensure quality of all submissions. Each year about 150 artists from both the Netherlands and abroad take part.
• Stadsfeest Doetinchem
• Watch football (ie soccer) at De Graafschap. They were relegated in 2019 so they now play in Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football. Their home stadium "de Vijverberg", capacity 12,600, is 1 km southeast of city centre.

• Stadsbrouwerij Doetinchem

  address: Grutstraat 31, NL-7001 BW
  Visit the brewery and see how the 'Waltersbier' is brewed. For groups of 12-15 people an expanded tour is available from Wednesday to Sunday. This, of course, can be expanded upon with some snacks, diner of a simple taste of the beer in the Grand Café.

The Doetinchem city centre offers a wide variety of shops, most of which can be found in the Hamburgerstraat and Boliestraat. The lifestock market of Doetinchem is one of the largest in the Netherlands.

Market

At the square in front of the city hall, a market is organised every Tuesday morning. The market mostly offers textile, dairy produce (esp. cheese), vegetables, fruits and fish. The also are several stands selling ecological products. There is another market organised every Saturday, but this one is smaller of scale.

• Stadscafé Simons

  phone: +31 314 392 233
  address: Simonsplein 8, 7001 BM Doetinchem

• Restaurant MyWereld Doetinchem

  phone: +31 314 745 188
  address: Havenstraat 146, 7005 AG Doetinchem
  All-inclusive world restaurant.

• Het Borghuis

  phone: +31 314 36 61 68
  address: Burgemeester van Nispenstraat 4, NL-7001 BS Doetinchem

• Eterij & Tapperij 't Raedthuys

  phone: +31 314 36 07 04
  address: Raadhuisstraat 14, NL-7001 EW Doetinchem

• Gringo's

  phone: +31 314 36 55 39
  address: Grutstraat 15a, NL-7001 BW Doetinchem

• Restaurant De Zaak

  phone: +31 314 36 10 22
  address: Grutstraat 16, NL-7001 BX Doetinchem

• Entree 1863

  phone: +31 314 844 999
  address: Grutstraat 44, NL-7001 BX Doetinchem

• Grand Café de Bank

  phone: +31 314 333 501
  address: Simonsplein 16, NL-7001 BM Doetinchem

• Wijngaard Duetinghem 838

  phone: +31 314 640 634
  address: Westermaatweg 7, NL-7008 AW Doetinchem
  Near the Kruisberg Forest a small, hidden vineyard. It is urban yet rural. A tour of the vineyard (~90 minutes) and a 'high wine' is optional. Reservations per phone are preferred.

Hotels

• Stadshotel De Graafschap

  phone: +31 314 324 541
  address: Simonsplein 12, 7001 BM Doetinchem

• Hotel Villa Ruimzicht

  phone: +31 314 320680
  address: Ruimzichtlaan 150, 7001 KG Doetinchem

Bed and Breakfasts

• Pont 8

  address: Bruggenweg 8, Doetinchem
  Rated 9.2/10 by users.

• B&B IJzevoorde

  phone: +31 630 157 573
  address: Loordijk 19, Doetinchem
  Rated 9.4/10 by users.

• Logies en ontbijt de Berkenhof

  phone: +31 314 345 834
  address: Terborgseweg 148, Doetinchem
  Rated 8.6/10 by users.

• Huis de Brink

  phone: +31 314 325 635
  address: Wielstraat 6, Doetinchem
  Rated 8.3/10 by users

• Doetinchem Slangenburg

  phone: +31 644 053 083
  address: Molenweg 5, Doetinchem
  Rated 9.0/10 by users

• B&B Wiltinksbrug

  phone: +31 314 333 215
  address: Wiltinksbrug 14, Doetinchem
  Rated 9.6/10 by users.

• Wiersse68

  address: Wiersse 68, Doetinchem
  Rated 8.9/10 by users.

• De Wandhorst

  address: Binnenweg 18, NL-7011 BR Gaanderen
  Rated 8.8/10 by users. 4.7 km from Doetinchem

• Gelsing

  phone: +31 314 681 027
  address: Catharinastraat 18, Wehl

• Rue Montagne

  address: Bergstraat 12, Zelhem
  Rated 8.6/10 by users.

Campsites

• Camping Jena

  phone: +31 314 38 14 57
  address: Rozegaarderweg 7, NL-6999 DW Hummelo

• Recreatiepark De Wrange

  phone: +31 314 32 48 52
  address: Rekhemseweg 144, NL-7004 HD Doetinchem
  Large campsite located in the middle of the Koekendaal forest, just south of Doetinchem.

If you have enjoyed Doetinchem, then you might also like other cities and towns in the Achterhoek, or Gelderland in general. If you like city trips more, then you may want to head west towards the Randstad. From Doetinchem you can also get to Germany easily by train.