Amersfoort

The city of Amersfoort is located in the geographical centre of the Netherlands. With about 160 thousand inhabitants, Amersfoort is the second largest city in the Province of Utrecht. The city celebrated its 750th birthday in 2009, but remains of settlements in the area have been found that date back to 1000 BC. Amersfoort is named after a ford in the Amer River, nowadays called the Eem.

Best city of Europe

Amersfoort was awarded the title Best City of Europe 2023 by the Academy of Urbanism. The city was praised for its quality of life, progressive planning and innovation, as well as the preservation of its unique heritage and character. “The well-being and happiness of all its citizens are clearly central,” said the jury.

Also noteworthy, in March 2023, the European Union has (once again) named Utrecht Region as Europeʼs most competitive region. Over 70 indicators, including macroeconomic stability, infrastructure, health, education, human capital, market size, business sophistication and innovation, were used to compare regions across Europe.

City Highlights

Amersfoort has a picturesque medieval city centre with beautiful historical buildings, lively squares and scenic canals. The city's most famous eye-catcher is the Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren. It is the third highest late-medieval tower in the Netherlands, with a height of more than 98 metres, and is locally nicknamed ‘Lange Jan’. Another famous site is the Koppelpoort, a medieval land and water gate dating back to 1425. The city also has new industrial areas where Amersfoort locals love to hang out to pass the time. For an overview of the city’s highlights, visit www.vvvamersfoort.nl

Surrounded by nature

Amersfoort lies on the edge of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park and is surrounded by nature. If you step outside the city centre, you can enjoy the scenery of the heathland, walk through the sand dunes at the Soesterduinen or hike through beautiful lush forests in no time. On a sunny day, there is no better swimming destination than Henschotermeer lake, and in the winter – if temperatures are cold enough – you might get a change to skate!

Transportation

Due to its central location, Amersfoort has one of the largest railway junctions with three stations (Centraal, Schothorst and Vathorst) to choose from. Furthermore, Amersfoort provides easy access to major highways A1 and A28 and easily accessible by car from all major cities, including Amsterdam, Hilversum and Utrecht.