De Stijl cycle route; Mondriaan meets Rietveld
Ten sculptures stand between Utrecht, the city of Gerrit Rietveld, and Amersfoort, the city of Piet Mondriaan. They mark the special connection between these two cities and are a lasting reminder of the celebration of 100 years of the De Stijl art movement (1917-2017). Its artistic legacy is now unimaginable.
Artist Boris Tellegen (1986) designed the sculptures, each over 6.5 metres high. They stand as striking totems in the landscape along this cycle route, connecting both cities with a rich creative history and future.
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Description
FROM UTRECHT
Start at the Kleine Singel by the sculpture KERN. Cycle along Griftpark via Blauwkapelseweg to the roundabout. Turn right onto Kardinaal de Jongweg. Cross the roundabout and continue on the Biltse Rading. You now pass the statue BAKEN.
DE BILT/BILTHOVEN
Cycle under the A27 flyover on your way to De Bilt. Cycle all the way down Biltsche Rading to the Groenekanseweg roundabout. Cross this roundabout. Take a slight bend to enter 't Beukenlaantje. You will pass the 1917 statue. Continue cycling past the Larenstein business park until you reach Gemini. Turn right here towards Melkweg. Follow Melkweg to the roundabout and cross over into Hertenlaan. This Hertenlaan turns into 2e Brandenburgerweg. At the Leyenseweg roundabout, turn right. Follow until you come to the T-junction of Soestdijkseweg Zuid and turn left. At the next major junction, turn right into Boslaan. Follow the bend to the left into Sperwerlaan. Drive all the way through, cross the roundabout and continue straight until Sperwerlaan turns right onto Julianalaan. Drive down Julianalaan until it splits to Paltzerweg. Here is the statue SOKKEL. Cycle up Paltzerweg until the junction with Baarnseweg.
DEN DOLDER
Turn left onto Baarnseweg, then cross Dolderseweg and continue until Andreas Foxlaan. There, turn left. When you reach the railway tracks, turn right into the cycle path and from this point keep following the tracks. At the level of the industrial estate is the sculpture CONSTRUCTION.
SOEST
About 100 metres after the Op Hees ecoduct, you pass the sculpture SPIEGEL. At the railway crossing near Berkenlaantje, cross over to the other side of the tracks, De Beaufortlaan. Near Soesterduinen you cycle past the statue GREEN, here there are also picnic benches. In Soestduinen, the route crosses the busy Soesterbergsestraat (N413), near cafeteria De Spoorhut. Continue along the railway towards Amersfoort. Near the Heezerspoor Oost is the statue UTOPIE.
AMERSFOORT
The path moves away from the railway line and you pass through the Monnikenbos forest. At the end of this path, you bump into the N221. You see the statue HOEFDIER standing in the bend. You cross over and drive into Barchman Wuytierslaan, towards Amersfoort station. Near the Q-park P+R is the CHOGOKIN sculpture. This is the tenth and last sculpture of the route. You can reach downtown Amersfoort, where the Mondrian House is also located, in about 5 minutes from this point.
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FROM AMERSFOORT
Start at Q-park's P+R on Barchman Wuytierslaan at the first sculpture CHOGOKIN. Cycle down Barchman Wuytierslaan until you see the sculpture HOEFDIER on the right in the bend of the N221. Here you cross over into the Monnikenbosch via the Monnikenboschpad.
SOEST
About 100 metres into the forest you reach the municipal boundary of Soest. You continue the route along the railway and near the Heezerspoor Oost is the statue UTOPIE. Arriving at cafeteria De Spoorhut, you cross Soesterbergweg and continue on the cycle path. Past Soestduinen is the statue GREEN, where there are also picnic tables. At the Berkenlaantje you cross the level crossing on your left. Then immediately turn right again, where the cycle path continues the track on the other side. On this stretch you come across the statue SPIEGEL. After you pass under the Op Hees ecoduct, you cycle towards Den Dolder. The route runs parallel to the Fornheselaan industrial estate. Here you pass the sculpture CONSTRUCTION.
DEN DOLDER
The cycle path merges into Fornheselaan. Keep cycling along the railway until you reach Andreas Foxlaan. There turn left, bending with the road to the right. Cross the Dolderseweg to the Baarnseweg. As you approach a junction, turn right onto Paltzerweg.
DE BILT/BILTHOVEN
Paltzerweg follow. Where Paltzerweg turns into Julianalaan, there is the statue SOKKEL. You continue on Julianalaan until you can turn left into Sperwerlaan. This Sperwerlaan bends slightly to the right. Follow the avenue until you arrive at the junction with Boslaan. Turn right there. At the next junction, turn left onto Soestdijkseweg Zuid. Then take the first right onto Leyenseweg. At the roundabout, turn left onto 2e Brandenburgerweg. Keep following this road until it turns into the Hertenlaan. Cross the roundabout into Melkweg. Go all the way down the Melkweg until you can't go any further at Gemini. There turn left into the forest path, 't Beukenlaantje. When you leave 't Beukelaantje, the statue 1917 is on your left. Cross the roundabout Groenekanseweg to De Biltsche Rading. Follow the cycle path on the left towards Utrecht.
UTRECHT
You are still driving on the Biltsche Rading. At the A27, you drive under the viaduct. You will see the Voorveldse polder on your left. Here you will see the statue BAKEN. Continue to the roundabout Kardinaal Alfrinkplein. Cross the roundabout. Stay on the left side of the road following the cycle path on Kardinaal de Jongweg. Cycle to the Eykmanplein roundabout. Turn left onto Blauwkapelseweg and follow the cycle path along Griftpark. At the corner of the park, the Kleine Singel begins. The sculpture KERN stands slightly elevated in the park. This is the tenth and last sculpture of the route. You have arrived at the border of Utrecht's city centre. The Centraal Museum is about 5 minutes by bike from this location.