Rijsterbos

An ancient forest

The first sight of the forest has something majestic. The robust, 250 years old beeches, are vital to the image of the “Rijsterbos”. The forest was already planted in the 17th century and is part of an estate; the trees are also planted in baroque style. That is, it was subdivided in segments by long straight lanes and cross paths. In the course of time the forest has grown to what it is now. An estate with endless majestic looking lanes on a lovely waving ground. Where whacking good beeches and summer beeches impress the wanderer.

A part originally consisting of heathland

In the second half of the 17th century Hiob de Wildtde bought the hilly heathland and build an outdoor place on this ground. His descendants cultivated the ground, partly to forests, partly to corn fields. They planted the beeches forests for the in former times wood company; the trees were cut down every 10 to 12 years. Since 1930 most of the forests were changed to tall forests wherein leave trees and pine trees alternate.