Every design for Elst

Beneath St Martin's Church in Elst lie the remains of two Roman temples, one of them among the largest ever found north of the Alps. They came to light after the war, while the church's damage was being repaired, and the Tempel-Kerkmuseum now lets you stand right above them.

There is a quiet pride in belonging to a place with that much underneath it. In the Middle Ages pilgrims came to the tomb of Saint Werenfried, the missionary buried here, hoping he would ease their aching joints. In Operation Market Garden the church tower served as an observation post and was shelled almost to nothing, then rebuilt. The Elstar apple was bred here, and the town, sitting in the Betuwe between Arnhem and Nijmegen with the river Linge just to the north, has kept growing with new homes and industrial estates. British visitors may be surprised to learn that HP Sauce has been made in Elst for years.

Where the castle De Parck once stood, Landerij de Park now keeps the ground green.