Dining out at an exciting location

October is the month of Halloween, a holiday that has blown over to the Netherlands, especially from America. In recent years, more and more Dutch people have started to celebrate Halloween, at Halloween Fright Nights at Walibi Holland, at a Halloween party at home or at friends’ houses, or on the street past the doors with the children. How we will celebrate Halloween this year will be a question for many of us.

But you really don’t even have to wait until October 31 to get into a real spooky mood. After all, there are plenty of places in the Netherlands where you can get spooky all year round, as you can read in our e-book Griezelen op echte spookplaatsen in Nederland.

But do you ever go out to eat at a haunted location? There are several restaurants in our country located in prisons, vaults, dungeons and forts. We highlight some of them for you in this blog.

Restaurant ‘t Fort in Vijfhuizen

The Fort near Vijfhuizen was originally a fort to defend the Haarlemmermeerpolder. Meanwhile, this fort has become an art fort where a combination of visual art and military history can be found.

And at this special place you can also enjoy lunch and dinner in restaurant ‘t Fort. Inside, the restaurant exudes a historic atmosphere, which is pleasant, but especially the location and immediate surroundings make you think back to exciting times.

Restaurant Ledeboer in Almelo

Almelo has given several historic buildings a new purpose, including the old bank building that houses restaurant Ledeboer. The 1909-built bank building of the bankers Ledeboer & Co. has been restaurant Ledeboer since 2017, with a Bib Gourmand award from Michelin. The restaurant has been stylishly restored and the old elements such as the vaults can still be found here. That completes the experience.

Damianz in Roermond

In Roermond, the former prison has been transformed into the beautiful hotel Het Arresthuis. The hotel restaurant, Damianz, is located in the former archive building of the Episcopal Palace in Roermond and a place where you can enjoy a culinary lunch or dinner. The name, Damianz comes from the penultimate bishop of the French era named Damianus de Rijksgraaf van Hoensbroek.

The Gevangentoren in Flushing

The Gevangentoren in Vlissingen is actually a wonderful place to have lunch, dinner or just enjoy the beautiful view over the water with a drink. But this Gevangentoren does have an exciting history. The tower was part of the Westpoort built around 1490 and served as the city prison since 1610. This tower, the story goes, had a “dark well” where the most severely punished criminals were placed. Around 1795 the tower was given a military purpose after which it lost its function around 1810.

Drink & Eatlocaal Proefverlof in Leeuwarden

Drink & Eatlokaal Proefverlof is located on the second airspace of the old prison, the Blokhuispoort, of Leeuwarden. You can have lunch, dinner or drinks here and enjoy a delicious bistro menu. In addition, on weekends you can get a guided tour from an old jailer who will show you how people used to be imprisoned. How exciting is that!

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