The hotel's remarkable history
It is the beginning of the twentieth century. The First World War is raging in Europe. The Netherlands remains neutral, prompting large groups of Belgians to flee across the border. Some of them end up in the forests of Lunteren. Okay, they didn't have a luxury hotel to stay in back then. But this is where the story of De Werelt begins.
Conference resort for Christian meetings
When the war ended, a Christian organisation decided to build a conference centre on the site where the Belgians had stayed, with meeting rooms, a kitchen, a dining room and accommodation for guests. ‘For the convenience of visitors’, a cycle path was even built from Lunteren Station to the conference centre, which was big news at the time.
Tired housewives, poor families and lonely elderly
In the decades that followed, De Blije Werelt - as the conference centre was called at the time - welcomed a colourful array of users. During the Second World War, German soldiers took up residence there. When peace returned, the Christian owners decided that between conferences there was plenty of room to welcome other guests. First, these were families from Rotterdam who did not have the money to go on holiday themselves. Later, De Blije Wereld focused on ‘tired housewives’ who wanted to relax in the forests of Lunteren. And eventually, De Blije Werelt became a holiday resort for lonely elderly people, people with disabilities and others who needed care during their holidays. The exciting excursions at that time? A covered wagon ride through the cornfields and shopping in Lunteren.
Bombings, fires and renovations
Anyone walking around the hotel today will not recognise the conference centre from those years. Over the years, a lot has been built and renovated. De Blije Werelt was severely damaged by bombings during the Second World War. A major expansion followed in the 1980s, but guests were only able to enjoy it for a short time. In 1986, a fierce fire destroyed the entire main building, including the kitchen, reception hall and large conference room. After a year of reconstruction, guests were once again able to stay at De Blije Werelt, with none other than Princess Margriet performing the reopening.
No longer ‘happy’ but still with a ‘t’
You might be wondering: what about the name De Werelt? That's a bit of a mystery. The ‘t’ in De Werelt is not a spelling mistake, but a remnant from the time when the word ‘wereld’ (world) was still regularly spelled with a ‘t’. However, in 2001, the word ‘blije’ (happy) was removed from the name of the conference centre in order to appeal to a non-Christian target group. During that period, the complex underwent another facelift, this time with a ‘warmer decor with lots of cherry wood’.
Takeover by Next Venue
During those years, the conference centre was owned by the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN), one of the largest church communities in our country. However, it needed less and less space. That is why De Werelt was put up for sale. Next Venue saw the potential of the complex, with the vast Veluwe as its backyard. In 2017, we became the proud owners of the hotel, after which we immediately rolled up our sleeves and got to work.
All facilities for holidaymakers and tourists
De Werelt underwent more than three years of renovation, sustainability improvements and restyling. The 125 hotel rooms were given a facelift, so that you can spend the night in luxury. There will be an à la carte restaurant and a bistro, where regional products will play a leading role on the menu. And you can relax in the new swimming pool, sauna, steam bath or hotel cinema, where, in addition to ‘tired housewives’, ‘busy fathers’ are now also welcome. Prefer to be active? With an art studio, fitness room, climbing wall, jogging track and rental bikes and mountain bikes, you won't be bored for a moment. This makes De Werelt the perfect place for holidaymakers and tourists who come to enjoy the beautiful, green surroundings.
