Utrecht and beyond - A visit to Groenekan and Molen de Geesina

Utrecht and more-A visit to Groenekan and Molen de Geesina

One of the most beautiful cities in Netherlands is Utrecht with its old canals and a blend of medieval and modern architecture. The city in itself can amuse one for days especially if you are an expat staying here for a while. The romantic old houses, numerous cafes, musicians playing on the streets on a sunny day, the flower markets every Saturday and the trips in small boats around the city in the canals are a few among the so many things to do in Utrecht . Also if you are visiting this city as a student or for work purposes and not as tourist for a few days only there are numerous other places around Utrecht to explore apart from the beautiful city centre, a visit to the Dom Tower and the numerous interesting museums.

In this article today I will be discussing about one such trip which is easily accessible from the city centre or from any part of the city for that matter by bus or ever better if you have your bikes 'coz when in Holland its always best to follow the Dutchie way!

Groenekan

Groenekan is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of De Bilt, and lies about 3 km west of Bilthoven.

It is a beautiful village consisting of classic Dutch architectural houses and agricultural farms where you can see the sheep’s and horses grazing.

The prime attraction of this village is the old windmill Molen de Geesina and some stables which one can visit if they love horses.

So if you are just like me who always wanted to visit Netherlands primarily for the two main reasons tulips and the old windmills I have the perfect location for you in Utrecht to fulfill one of those wishes.

After coming to Utrecht the first windmill every expat visits is the Molen de Ster in Lombok which is beautiful undoubtedly but always a bit crowded as its famous amongst tourists and because of its proximity to the city centre. So if you are a kind of person like me who loves solitude and loves to explore the country side don’t take a bus just get on to your bikes and plan a trip to Groeneken on a weekend afternoon maybe and reach there enjoying the beauty of nature when you take a break in between.

It is best if you visit Groenekan on a sunny day and have a picnic lunch there with your friends or your partner or  maybe just check out one of the cozy restaurants like 'Dorpsbistro Naast De Buren’ or ‘Wok Plaza’ or simply just spend some time in a café nearby after you are done with the day tour of the village before returning back to the city.

Highlights of Groeneken

Molen De Geesina/Korenmolen Geesina - A little bit about the history

The Geesina is a wind mill in Groenekan in the province of Utrecht.

The mill was in all likelihood built in 1843. Between 1911 and

1998, the mill was owned by the family of Abraham Schuurman. 





The mill until 1941 was called De Groenekan. In 1941 after the mill restoration was done by
 Abraham Schuurman‘s wife it was renamed after her as, ‘Geesina’. After that there was a 
period of decline, and again the mill was restored in 1968.



Then the mill was used for a while, but the condition gradually became worse so
a new owner, the Foundation Utrecht Mills, after the purchase of the mill from 
the Schuurman in 1998 began an extensive restoration . Due to financial problems the
 restoration ceased in 2000.




For several years, the Foundation Utrecht Mills associated with the Utrecht
landscape and finally on December 22, 2011, placed the restored hood and
curtain rods in the mill again. On May 12, 2012, during the National Mills Day,
the mill was festively reopened.

Stal Ruigenhoek

Stal Ruigenhoek is one of the biggest stables in Groenekan which I visited on my day trip there.

They maintain quite a good many number of horses. The horses are one of the loveliest creatures on earth and the staff there being very friendly I could even pat some of them. I was lucky enough to see some of them practice running and indeed it was such a lovely sight to behold to see them galloping away enjoying their freedom. For me the best part of visiting Groenekan was the time I could spend with the horses as I am one mad animal lover.

So if you are in for some multicultural food, people and beautiful landscapes (all seasons round but preferably on a sunny day) then make sure to drop by Groenekan village during your time in Utrecht and if it's in winter don't forget your binny and gloves!