A Hearty Welcome to HetMagazijn - new style!
HetMagazijn is a website about travel, hiking, bicycling and nature, compiled by Frans van der Kolff. HetMagazijn presents the nicest pictures of travels and walks we have made, from 1982 onwards, in several parts of the world. Also in HetMagazijn you'll find images amd texts about special journeys and walks and about experiences in nature - the wild, or not so wild variety.
Did you know the earlier edition of this website? No doubt you will have noticed the changes! Under the motto Less is More we have chosen to show less quantity but more quality in images and texts. We hope you'll enjoy your visit to HetMagazijn.
We are working hard on the change of the website from old to new, and on the replacement of the slide shows by presentations which are easier to view. The old chapters ReisMagazijn and WandelMagazijn, with reports and pictures of travels and walks, are still accessible in their old layout.
The newest entries in HetMagazijn:
Things natural: Animal Park Wissel in winter
Things natural: A short walk in the Paleispark
Things natural: Erinnerungs-Treffen in Berlin: Tierpark Berlin
Things natural: Erinnerungs-Treffen in Berlin: Zoo Berlin
Things natural: Lars becomes 18!
Things natural: A visit to Zoo Halle
Things natural: A visit to Zoo Leipzig
Things natural: A visit to Devi at Naturzoo Rheine
Things natural: A visit to Blijdorp in Rotterdam
Things natural: Animal Park Wissel in autumn finery
Things natural: A visit to Animal Park Amersfoort
Things natural: An autumn walk in the Paleispark
Things natural: Apenheul in autumn
On the road: De Wijk-IJhorst-De Wijk
Don't forget to take a look at my animal stories (please scroll down) - new stories appearing regularly!
In memoriam: Knut
December 5, 2006 - March 19, 2011
December 5, 2006 - March 19, 2011
Poor animal... I had wished you a better life ... Rest in peace, Knut.
Animal Park Wissel in winter
Sunshine, six degrees, tailwind: a beautiful day for a bicycle tour to Animal Park Wissel, that I always wanted to visit in winter. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Lars becomes 18!
This weekend Zoo Wuppertal celebrates the birthday of Lars, the father of the famous polar bear Knut, who becomes 18 years old on December 12. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Erinnerungs-Treffen in Berlin: Tierpark Berlin
Around the fifth birthday of polar bear Knut, there's an Erinnerungs-Treffen in Berlin. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Erinnerungs-Treffen in Berlijn: Zoo Berlin
Around the fifth birthday of polar bear Knut, there's an Erinnerungs-Treffen in Berlin. Read on (in Dutch) ...
A visit to Devi at Naturzoo Rheine
Devi withstood the journey from Berlin to Rheine well, and has by now settled in Naturzoo Rheine. She has a good relationship with Franz, a male counterpart. Time for a visit to Rheine. Read on (in Dutch) ...
A short walk in the Paleispark
Pictures of our walk in the autumnal forests. Read on (in Dutch) ...
An autumn walk in the Paleispark
Where better can one make an autumn walk than in the Paleispark (Palace Park), behind Palace Het Loo? Read on (in Dutch) ...
Animal Park Wissel in autumn finery
On a beautiful sunny autumn day I cycle along quiet paths and roads on the northern border of Veluwe and the IJssel Valley. My goal: Animal Park Wissel. Read on (in Dutch) ...
A visit to Animal Park Amersfoort
Animal Park Amersfoort was already on my list for some time. It's one of those elusive parks in the Netherlands that I have not yet visited. On a nice autum day I travel to the park for my first visit. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Apenheul in autumn
A last visit to Apenheul this year, just before the winter closure starts. The animal park is not open for the entire year, but closes its doors yearly from november to march, because the Dutch climate is simply too cold for many of the inhabitants of the park. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Apenheul around World Animal Day
Another visit to this beautiful animal park. Read on (in Dutch) ...
De Wijk-IJhorst-De Wijk
On a beautiful Indian Summer Day we travel to De Wijk for a walk with our Slodinosfriends. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Indian Summer in the IJssel Valley
A nice bicycle ride in an unknown part of the IJssel Valley. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Animal Park Wissel: A real discovery!
A short time ago I discovered a new - that is to say, new to me - animal park in our surroundings. Only sixteen kilometer to the north lies the Animal Park Wissel. Never before had I visited it; I knew of its existance but always thought that it was little and probably not very interesting. I could not have been more wrong! Read on (in Dutch) ...
A visit to Apenheul
A beautiful autumn day is the inspiration for a visit to Apenheul, the famous animal park at the Veluwe. Read on (in Dutch) ...
A visit to Zoopark Kharkiv
On holiday in the Ukraïne we visit Zoopark Kharkiv. Read on (in Dutch) ...
A visit to Zoopark Kiev
On holiday in the Ukraïne we visit in the capital Zoopark Kiev. Read on (in Dutch) ...
The Zilvense Heath and the Loenermark
On a beautiful late summer day we cycle along the Apeldoorn Canal to Loenen. We read in the newspaper that thanks to abundant summer rains, the heather this year blooms more beautiful than ever. Of course we want to see for himself. Read on (in Dutch) ...
A visit to the polar bear family in Ouwehands Dierenpark in Rhenen
Already it's almost half a year ago that I visited Ouwehands Dierenpark and for the first time saw the polar bear family of mother Freedom and children Siku and Sesi. Read on (in Dutch) ...
A visit to Zoo Halle
On holiday in the Harz we visit the zoo of Halle. Read on (in Dutch) ...
A visit to Zoo Leipzig
On holiday in the Harz we visit the zoo of Leipzig. Read on (in Dutch) ...
An In Memoriam meeting 'bei Knut'
On a warm spring afternoon I walk on the Hardenbergplatz from Bahnhof Zoo to the entrance of the zoo. The Lion's Gate, named after the stone lions overlooking the visitors from the small houses at both sides of the gate. Read on (in Dutch) ...
The Zoo of Wuppertal
When I turn around the corner of the Hubertusallee, the sight frightens me for a moment. No one to see at the square before the zoo entrance. The zoo will not be closed for some reason or another!? Read on (in Dutch) ...
The Noaber (Neighbour) Path: From Losser to Enschede
Through a beautiful forest where the early morning sunlight rays touch the young spring leaves. It's a real joy to walk here, with only the whistling of the birds around you. Walk along with us to Enschede! Read on (in Dutch) ...
The Noaber (Neighbour) Path: From the Agelerbrug to Losser
Over a year since our last walks on this path. In the mean time a brand new bicycle path has been made along side the canal where we ended our last etappe. Why we waited so long to continue with the path? No real reason, except that there are so many more beautiful walking routes in The Netherlands! Read on (in Dutch) ...
The call for a wife: A frog concert at the borders of the IJssel
On a bicycle tour along the river IJssel we hear a lot of noise. A frog concert like we haven't often heard before! Read on (in Dutch) ...
The storks of Eefde
We are bicycling along the borders of the river IJssel to the Storks Village in Eefde, which we visited last year for the first time. All the nests we see are occupied, a nice view! Read on (in Dutch) ...
A summer spring in the IJssel Valley
On the day between Good Friday and Easter in the eastern Netherlands the temperatures rise to 28 degrees: it is summer in the spring! Too hot to walk, but a great moment for our almost-annual trek through the IJssel Valley. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Crossing the Hoogbuurlo Heath to Kootwijk
We're visiting friends in a neighboring village. For this you can take the car of course, but ... your trip becomes a lot more by leaving the car for what it is and for once getting those bikes from the shed. From the car you see asphalt and traffic lights; some green flashes past. There are few things that stay less in my memory than a car ride. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Walking in Twente
On a beautiful spring day we travel to Delden, for another meeting with our walking friends. That such meetings are always good for a nice hike, loyal readers of this website meanwhile know. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Spring Garden Breezand
A long car trip takes us to the Hotel Molengroet in Noord-Scharwoude. Why, you may ask. When one knows Het Magazijn a little bit, one is aware that car trips are not exactly a hobby of the compiler of this website. However, today's trip has a nice story to it, which I will be happy to disclose. Read on (in Dutch) ...
A first visit to Siku and Sesi in Ouwehands Dierenpark in Rhenen
The Overijssels Havezatenpad: Twelfth part, from Oldemarkt to Steenwijk
The last part of this beautiful long distance walking path. Read on (in Dutch) ...
The Overijssels Havezatenpad: eleventh part, from Giethoorn to Oldemarkt
On a cold and sunny wintery day we take the bus to Giethoorn to continue the Overijssels Havezatenpad. This weekend we walk the last two parts of this 272 kilometer long path from Oldenzaal to Steenwijk. There's no better and beautiful way to see the province of Overijssel! Read on (in Dutch) ...
A wintery visit to Ouwehands Animal Park in Rhenen
A visit full of suprises to Ouwehands Animal Park. Read about and see polar bear Freedom ... in the zoo restaurant! Are the lama's fighting or is it love? A monkey discovers ice. Mother Anak proudly shows her child. And what a child! Read on (in Dutch) ...
The Rechterense Veld and the Archemerberg
A wintery walk through the beautiful nature of the Rechterense Veld behind Dalfsen and around the Archemerberg. Read on (in Dutch) ...
A visit to Blijdorp in Rotterdam
Like so many zoo visits, this visit to Diergaarde Blijdorp (Rotterdam Zoo) is one with many interesting experiences, which I enjoy looking back to. Read on (in Dutch) ...
White Christmas on Texel
It is winter, and what a winter it is! Even in the last weeks of autumn it freezes, and a large part of Holland is covered by snow. It's going to be a white christmas on Texel, an exceptional event in Holland and even more rare on the islands of the Wadden Sea. Read on (in Dutch) ...
A visit to Knut
A report in German with photo's of a visit to Knut. Through Anneliese we are witness to snowball game and one of the first friendly encounters between Knut and the female polar bears in his resort. Read on (in German) ...
The woods in winter dress
A walk in the Paleispark on two quite different December days. On the first day the weather is somber and cold. On the second day the world looks much brighter. The sun shines from a deep blue sky, the trees and scrubs are covered with a thick layer of snow. It's one of those winter days we don't get too often in Holland. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Knut's fourth birthday!
Another trip to Berlin on the occasion of the fourth birthday of polar bear Knut proves more than worth the trouble. The zoo looks wonderful under it's thick wintery blanket and despite the cold and the snow there's much to see and experience. Read on (in Dutch) ...
The Gelada's of the Simien Mountains
On our journey through Aethiopia we also visit the Simien Mountains, in the northwestern part of the country. We are on our way to a mountain pasture, where there's a chance we can see the Gelada's. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Unknown Twente
Almost every year we do a walk by Van Paridon Natuurtochten. Regularly the route makers of this company find a way to surpass themselves, and this occasion is no exception, with a spectacularly beautiful walk through a - for us - unknown part of Twente. Read on (in English) ...
Behavioural Enrichment for All Animals in Berlin Zoo and Animal Park
HetMagazijn kindly requests your attention for the following petition, an initiative of a group of visitors of Zoo Berlin.
Beschäftigung für alle Tiere in Zoo und Tierpark
Enrichment voor de dieren in Zoo en Tierpark Berlin
Read on (in English) ...
The landscape between Empe and Zutphen
Since 2007 the train to Zutphen also stops in Empe. Or Railway station Voorst-Empe, as the blue NS-signs stately say. Besides an impulse to public traffic, the new railway stations, like Voorst-Empe, are an inspiration to the designers of walks in the area. Wonderful new routes are developed, like the one from Twello to Voorst (in Dutch), the round walk from Voorst over the Bandijk and the route we are walking today. Read on (in Dutch) ...
The IJssel Valley between Twello and Voorst
A walk in the beautiful IJssel Valley. This walk really is a prime example of the great variety of landscapes in the Netherlands. The walk goes in succesion through a village, along grasslands, through fields, woods, a lake area, a river valley and through foreland. How much variety can you get on just one day! And when, like today, the hiking weather is excellent, the day cannot go wrong. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Autumn gets colour
Tomorrow it will freeze for the first time this autumn. When the temperatures drop, the trees start to colour. On this unexpected warm day, we are curious if we will already see the beginnings of Indian Summer. Read on (in Dutch) ...
On mushroom safari in the Royal Forests
2010 is hailed all around as an extraordinary rich mushroom year. Time therefore to see that with my own eyes. And where better to do so than in the Palace Park, behind Palace Het Loo. In this magnificent forest I made a most enjoyable walk with, along the path, more mushrooms than one could count. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Dead wood?
No better place to see many mushrooms together than on dead wood. And since the forests in our country are no longer raked, dead wood is available in abundance. At the end of a forest path in the Paleispark, along a small brook, lies an old tree trunk. A spicy smell meets my nose. No doubt about it, that means: Mushrooms. And many! Read on (in Dutch) ...
A visiting cat
Hunting is his life. The new cat of our neighbours is first heard and then seen - above his head the birds are screaming out their warnings: the Red Hunter is around again! After the hunt he often visits us - sometimes with the feathers still on his paws. Some relaxing on the couch and a good wash, for that he has chosen our home as the place to be. Read on (in Dutch) ...
Forest and Heather near Vierhouten
Vierhouten is situated in the midst of a large area with forests and heatherfields, the Centraal Veluws Massief. We make a short walk through the Vierhouterbos and across the Noorderheide. We are not very familiar with the surroundings of Vierhouten - without good reason, to be honest - because the forests, heatherfields, and drifting sands offer a large variety of vegetation. Wild boars, red deer, hinds, badgers, foxes, rabbits, and squirrels inhabit, together with many other animals, this large area. Read on (in Dutch) ...
A visit to Burgers' Zoo in Arnhem
On March 31, 1913, Faisanterie Buitenlust opens it's doors to the public for the first time. At that time, the predecessor of the contemporary Burgers' Zoo is not located in Arnhem; it started as a hobby running-out-of-hand of the founder of the zoo, Johan Burgers, in the Gelrian village of 's-Heerenberg. Burgers is inspired by his good friend Carl Hagenbeck, owner and founder of Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg. Read on (in Dutch) ...
The birds concert
The river forelands of the Overijsselse Vecht are a beautiful nature reserve. On this wonderful day in May the whole area is covered with white and yellow spring flowers. The willows along streams and pools are growing new leaves. Branches with a light veil of young green leaves are waving in the wind. It's an ideal area for birds, and that's something you can hear too. Read on (in Dutch) ...
The washing swan
Along the border of the Beulakerwijde lake we discover a restaurant with a nice terrace - more a beach than a terrace, actually. On the border of sand and water a swan is washing herself elaborately. It doesn't seem to bother her that we come and sit with her. From our terrace chairs we witness the exhaustive washing round. A swan really is a beautiful animal! Read on (in Dutch) ...