The Vrouwenheide (''Women's heath'') is a hill in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and former heath land, just south of

Ubachsberg Ubachsberg () is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Voerendaal.''ANWB Topografische Atlas Nederland'', Topografische Dienst and ANWB, 2005. The village was first mentioned in 1380 as "opten Berch", an ...

in the municipality of

Voerendaal Voerendaal (; li, Voelender) is a municipality and a town in the southeastern Netherlands. Population centres ''Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Voerendaal, June 2015'' History The Romans left the ruins from a Roman villa rustic ...

. With a height of 218 metres above

NAP A nap is a short period of sleep, typically taken during daytime hours as an adjunct to the usual nocturnal sleep period. Naps are most often taken as a response to drowsiness during waking hours. A nap is a form of biphasic or polyphasic sl ...

it is one of the highest points in the European part of the Netherlands.

Geology

The area is made up out of inliers and outliers. The Vrouwenheide is the highest point of the plateau of Ubachsberg. Between 1 and 2 million years ago it was part of the island of Ubachsberg in the

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

river. With a height of 218 metres above

it is one of the highest point in the European part of the Netherlands. It was long believed that this was in fact the highest point in the Netherlands, because from the top you can see over the top of the

Vaalserberg The Vaalserberg (, Ripuarian: ) is a hill with a height of above NAP and is the highest point in the European part of the Netherlands, also known as "Dutch Mountains". The Vaalserberg is located in the province of Limburg, at the south-easte ...

, to see the even higher hills from the German

Eifel The Eifel (; lb, Äifel, ) is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Community of ...

Buildings

On the Vrouwenheide are several national monuments. Windmill

Op de Vrouweheide Op de Vrouweheide (English language, English: ''On the Vrouweheide'') is a windmill located on the Vrouwenheide just south of Ubachsberg, Voerendaal, in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Limburg, Netherlands, Limburg. Built in 1858 as a tower mill ...

, built in 1858, is located at 216 meters above

Amsterdam Ordnance Datum Amsterdam Ordnance Datum or ' (NAP) is a vertical datum in use in large parts of Western Europe. Originally created for use in the Netherlands, its height was used by Prussia in 1879 for defining ', and in 1955 by other European countries. In the ...

, and built on an artificial hill to catch even more wind. As such it is the highest windmill in the Netherlands. The Bernardushoeve is a farmhouse built in the early 19th century and currently a restaurant.Bernardushoeve (monument nr37895)
Description at monumentenregister.cultureelerfgoed.nl, official website for Dutch cultural heritage In the forest on the Vrouwenheide the remains of an old watchtower can be found.
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Activities

The Vrouwenheide has a lot of walking routes and biking routes pass through and is also home to a farmer's golf course. The Vrouwenheide is part of the

Mergellandroute The Mergellandroute ("marl land route") is a tourist route through South Limburg, Netherlands, mapped out by the ANWB. The Mergellandroute goes mostly through the local hills, which are in contrast with the lesser relief found in the rest of the ...

, a tourist route for cars and bikes through

South Limburg South Limburg (Dutch: ''Zuid-Limburg'', Limburgish: ''Zuud-Limburg'') is both a COROP (statistical) region as well as a '' landstreek'' (area) of the Netherlands located in the province of Limburg. The Dutch term ''landstreek'', literally transla ...

, mapped out by the

ANWB The Royal Dutch Touring Club ANWB (), known simply as ANWB (), is a travelers' association in the Netherlands, supporting all modes of travel. It provides test reports, travel services and roadside assistance and is comparable to the German ''Al ...

. Due to the hills, the Vrouwenheide and surrounding areas are part of the

Amstel Gold Race The Amstel Gold Race is an annual one-day classic road cycling race held in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the spring classics, with the climbers and stage racers replacing the cobbled classics r ...

, a

road bicycle race Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

. As such it was also part of the

2006 Tour de France The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between the 1st and the 23rd of July. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of Floyd Landis. Due to the Unite ...

(stage 3). Panvrouwenheide

References

{{Commons category, Vrouwenheide Mountains and hills of the Netherlands Hills of South Limburg (Netherlands) Voerendaal