Hotel & Restaurant Groot Warnsborn has 30 unique rooms, two bridal suites and a wonderful Orangery, nestling among meticulously laid out English terraced gardens and 750 hectares of woods. Not only a treat for the eye but, above all, a hospitable place to stay for all the guests who appreciates personal attention and comfort and culinary delights. Follow in the footsteps of Baron Roëll and Baroness Van Haserswoude!
Hotel & Restaurant Groot Warnsborn is uniquely situated on the edge of the Veluwe at a stone’s throw distance from the town of Arnhem, the Kröller Müller Museum and various golf courses. This luxurious and highly comfortable four-star hotel offers a large number of attractive rooms including two appealing bridal suites, various rooms for business meetings and social gatherings, and a restaurant whose kitchen has received the highest praise from culinary connoisseurs both at home and abroad.
Landgoed Hotel & Restaurant Groot Warnsborn is situated on the woody estate of the same name, covering an area of 750 hectares, on the edge of the National Park ‘De Hoge Veluwe”. The hotel has 30 well-appointed rooms, 15 of which are in the country house and 15 in the former coach house. The hotel is an ideal place for guests seeking peace and space and also for anyone with a taste for culinary delights. As with many castles and country estates in the province of Gelderland, little is known about the earliest history of Landgoed Groot Warnsborn. The name Warnsborn (= clear spring) first crops up in 1428 and since then the place has been owned by several families, including the Bloyant, the Roëll Van Haserwoude and the Voute families. In 1932 the Estate was converted into a hotel but, sadly, this original country house completely burnt down during the second World War. In 1950 it was rebuilt, financed by so-called “Marshall aid”. In 1989 Lammert and Sjoukje De Vries were appointed as managers and they subsequently rented the hotel. Since 1996 Landgoed Hotel & Restaurant Groot Warnsborn is fully owned by the De Vries family.
As with many castles and country estates in the province of Gelderland, little is known about the earliest history of Landgoed Hotel & Restaurant Groot Warnsborn. The name Warnsborn first cropped up in 1428 when the land was leased out as heathland to Johan Van Postel by Duke Arnold of Gelre. In 1465 it was owned by Rykart Van Bloylant.
The name Warnsborn – the name contains the words “born”, meaning spring, and “warn”, which means clear, so Warnsborn stands for “clear spring” – was probably derived from the springs on the estate and was used as early as the 15th century for the grounds which were also known as the “Hoge Erf” (High Grounds). It was bounded in the northwest by the “Lage Erf” (Low Grounds). In the 17th century the “Hoge” and the “Lage Erf” were acquired by one single owner and the entire estate was referred to as Warnsborn. In 1894 the “Hoge Erf” was again split off and the “Lage Erf” retained the name Warnsborn. The centre of the estate was the country- house with outbuildings (coach house, orangery and chapel) and a nearby icehouse.
In 1516 the “Hoge Erf” belonged to the Mariendal monastery and the “Lage Erf” to the St Agnieten Convent in Arnhem. Around 1580 the estate came under the trust of the States of the Veluwe. In 1640, after the Reformation, part of the estate which belonged to the former monasteries was auctioned. The then burgomaster of Arnhem, Everhardt Everwijn, subsequently became the owner of Warnsborn. The Everwijn family was also the founder of the adjacent estate “Everwinsbergh”, later referred to as “Bakkenbergh” and today known as country estate “De Menthenberg”, named after Wilhelm Menthen who owned the place between approximately 1700 and 1737. Warnsborn changed owners many times thereafter. Many of them enlarged the estate, mainly towards the northwest where vast heaths invited cultivation. The estate covered an area of 777 hectares and had two houses: Groot Warnsborn and Klein Warnsborn, as well coach houses, dwellings for the gardeners, farms etc. The estate thrived most when Baron Roël Van Haserswoude lived there, who had the attractive neoclassical country house built. He died in 1841 and afterwards the place changed hands many times. Up to 1929 the estate was owned by Mr Voute, who died the same year. The family was forced to sell the estate, in part due to the crash on the stock market which took place that year.
In 1929 Warnsborn was obtained by Thorem in Doorn, a property utilization company. Thorem intended to cut up the estate into lots for the purpose of turning it into an exclusive residential area. The “Stichting het Geldersch Landschap”, which had only recently been formed, tried to prevent this by buying the estate itself but the asking price was much too high. The subsequent lawsuit resulted in one of the major victories in the history of nature conservation, namely expropriation in favour of the “Stichting het Geldersch Landschap”.
In 1932 the estate, including the coach house, orangery, flower garden and part of the park, was leased to P. Molenaar. After having the place rebuilt, he opened Hotel Groot Warnsborn. Towards the end of the second World War the hotel, which had served as a place of recreation for German soldiers, was completely burnt down during a party.
From 1935 to 1958 the chapel was used as a private house by the family of Keppel Hesselink, the then director of the Tourist Office of Arnhem. After 1945 the beautiful medieval terraced garden with kitchen gardens, orangery and coach house faced serious neglect. In 1949 the grounds of the hotel were leased to G.A. Jonkers and Mrs B.M. Braakman-Jansen. Financed by Marshall aid a new hotel was built, which opened its doors in 1950.
In 1958 the chapel also became part of the hotel and was turned into an annex with on the ground floor a private house and on the first a number of hotel rooms. Later the entire annex was joined to the main building, and housed fourteen (small) hotel rooms. In 1969 the hotel was leased to Mr L.L. Naaykens.
In 1970 the hotel grounds were leased out to ENKA N.V., who rebuilt the hotel for the purpose of holding conferences and receiving guests. In the same year the hotel became the property of AKZO, who had meanwhile taken over ENKA. In 1975 the hotel came under the administration of the Bilderberg Group. In 1978 the hotel was purchased by the Clingendael Group, who in its turn sold it to Crest Hotels in the following year. In 1980 Crest Hotels sold Hotel & Restaurant Groot Warnsborn to the Pot family.
In 1989 Lammert and Sjoukje De Vries entered the hotel’s employment and on 1 July 1991 they acquired full management of the hotel. During the subsequent years the entire hotel was thoroughly altered and everything was restored and refurbished in style.
On 1 July 1996 Lammert and Sjoukje De Vries became the sole owners of this magnificent hotel. They name it:
“LANDGOED HOTEL & RESTAURANT GROOT WARNSBORN”
All the rooms in the main building have recently been completely renovated. each room has its own individual colour and style. As far back as 1991 the De Vries family already had had plans for the coach house, chapel, car park and orangery.
In 1999 the coach house was converted into a hotel annex, the main requirement being that the building would exude the same atmosphere as the former coach house.
The lounge and the restaurant also underwent a metamorphosis, with its classical character definitely being retained.
The chapel is no longer being used as a hotel annex, but has served since February 2001 as a private house for the De Vries family.
In December 2001 the Orangery with its greenhouses and the terraced gardens was also completely restored to its former glory. Both the Orangery and the terraced gardens had been badly neglected since 1939 and were completely lost. In 1999 the De Vries family sold the Orangery back to the Geldersch Landschap in order that the Orangery and the terraced gardens be restored with the help of sponsor aid. Since December 2001 its exploitation is back in the hands of the De Vries family.
Changes have also been made to the car park, to ensure that the parked vehicles are less conspicuous. The car park is now partly located next to the coach house and partly behind the Orangery.
All the rooms in our hotel do have another radiance. Even for people who are regular hotel visitors this four-star hotel has several surprises in store. For example: rooms with open fire places, unique draught tables or antique whisky cabinets. Hotel Groot Warnsborn has 30 first-rate rooms, all equipped with bath / shower, toilet, mini-bar, radio alarm clock, colour television with satellite receiving, telephone, Internet connection and other facilities, some on request. The 15 rooms in our Landgoed/hotel (country estate) have a rural ambience, while the 15 rooms in our Koetshuis (coach house) have been transformed by a talented interior designer into an oasis of space and light. The rooms on the ground floor of the Koetshuis are not only spacious but also have their own terrace.
The largest rooms can be found on the ground floor of the Koetshuis and have the following facilities: bath / shower (a large number with separate showers), toilet, blow-drier, mini-bar, safe, radio alarm clock, telephone and colour TV. The spacious corner rooms of the Landhuis have magnificent views and the same facilities as the rooms mentioned above. These rooms have separate showers and baths but no safes. These rooms are all situated on the ground floor and the first floor (no lift).
Double rooms situated in the Landhuis or the Koetshuis with the same facilities as the De Luxe Rooms. The rooms in the Koetshuis all have separate showers and baths and a safe. These rooms are situated on the ground floor and on the first floor (no lift).
Widen your outlook in the Orangery or one of the other stylish conference rooms of Hotel Groot Warnsborn. A business meeting in a rural and inspiring environment. A brainstorming session on the heath, or a good, long talk in the woods: the conference rooms of Hotel Groot Warnsborn provide a distraction-free environment for your guests. Besides business meetings, the prestigious rooms are ideal for private dinner parties or high-quality presentations. A conference picnic is also an option. Of course, all sorts of audiovisual aids will be available and the receptionists of Hotel Restaurant Groot Warnsborn will be happy to see to all your secretarial needs. Hotel & Restaurant Groot Warnsborn can be hired exclusively for your guests. In this case we advise you to book early. Landgoed Groot Warnsborn has several smaller and larger conference rooms. Depending on the room arrangement opted for, the rooms are suitable for groups from 2 to over 250 persons.
Where in days of your gentry reposed in dress suit and rustling garments of silk and gold brocade, today one of the most renowned restaurants in the area can still be found. Here food is still prepared with lots of love and care, using local produce from the Groot Warnsborn estate as much as possible. The Sun Lounge-Restaurant offers an idyllic view of the garden and the woody surroundings. The Lounge is an ideal spot to enjoy an aperitif, a glass of whisky or a cup of coffee in front of the fireplace. And, of course, on sunny days the outdoor terrace is an excellent place for a sumptuous dinner or a relaxing digestive. Sumptuous dining, amidst the scenic beauty of a vast estate.
The cuisine of Restaurant Groot Warnsborn has a strong French bias with a seasonally changing menu. The menu mainly features fresh – local – produce. Enjoy the salmon, which is smoked at Groot Warnsborn itself, or the home-distilled Dutch gin. But the asparagus, fresh strawberries and the game are also often from the estate itself or from its immediate surroundings.
Setting out on a walk with your hotel room as the starting point? No problem at all at Landgoed Groot Warnsborn. We have mapped out various beautiful walks and cycling routes for our valued guests. Because: you must not forget that it is easy to get lost on Landgoed Groot Warnsborn. A well-filled picnic bag will make sure that your day will be one never to forget.
Or why not visit the nearby National Park De Hoge Veluwe, Burgers’ Zoo or the National Open Air Museum. Or what about an afternoon of shopping in Arnhem, a relaxing game of golf, horse-riding, game spotting, mountain-biking, cross-country skiing or a visit to the famous Kröller Müller Museum?
Until halfway through the nineteenth century the Groot Warnsborn estate, which measures 750 hectares, was the domain of barons and baronesses. The estate owes its name to the clear (warn) spring (born) which rises on the estate. The clear water of this spring brook provides a safe haven for the European crayfish, a species which is almost extinct in the Netherlands.
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