Historische aanleg, Weert bij 9

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, in Dutch. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

HISTORICAL PARK AND GARDEN LAYOUT. (see map no. 2)

Vaeshartelt has a 19th century park layout typical of the Maastricht-Aachen-Liège region, fitted into an 18th century framework of straight avenues with rows of trees. The older formal pattern of the layout around the house did not come about on the basis of purely garden-architectural considerations, but unfolded gradually in close connection with the agricultural management and use of the country estate. This rectangular pattern of avenues and tree rows at the same time emphasises the connection with the nearby country estates. Striking is the square formed by avenues situated to the south-west of the buildings: a former circular walk. These avenues are oriented towards the west, south and east. To the north-west of the house lies the 18th century Sterrebos, a square wooded plot with (formerly) a star-shaped avenue pattern and a central intersection, originally intended for timber extraction.

Between 1830 and 1850 the transformation of the agriculturally oriented country estate into a luxurious country residence began, initiated by Count de Grimaudet de Rochebouët. The tree-lined avenues were replanted, with the exception of the stately linden avenue (the trees are spaced 10 m apart both across and along) at the eastern approach. This linden avenue continues outside the approach, on the east side of the railway crossing, with oaks as the southern border of the historical country house Kruisdonk. The avenue facing west south of the Sterrebos received a planting of green beeches, the avenue facing south in line with the short avenue of horse chestnuts (which are spaced 9 m apart across and 12 m apart along) was provided with red beeches. Along the carriageway, immediately to the east of the current pond, there is an oak avenue. The ditches and watercourses that crossed the terrain were reshaped and redistributed. This created a clear layout and arrangement of the natural landscape in the distance via the rectangular pattern of cultivated lands (coppice, orchards) on the southern and western side towards the formal rectangular garden layout with circular walk in the immediate vicinity of the house. In the first half of the 19th century the immediate surroundings of the house were in use as a space for recreation. To the north and east of the buildings lay large flower beds and a spacious garden (meadow), extending to the pond. Whether footpaths through the lawn and along the water were established is uncertain. The meadow in front of the farmhouse on the south side of the linden avenue and the meadow on the north side of the pond (the Bloemenhof) were let out. Under Regout the leasing of the latter two meadows continued, indicating a continuation of the agricultural function.

Gindra adapted his design of the landscape park to this situation. The more recreational character of his park was in 1853 carefully fitted into the space that the estate's operations left available for it; the park encompassed the same enclosed area, which from ancient times already had a recreational garden function. Gindra applied, following among others the German garden architect W.F. Weyhe (responsible for the garden layout of castle Amstenrade, where Gindra had been gardener/head gardener), the principle of separation between natural landscape and artificial park layout by using exotic tree species and by screening the park with dense undergrowth, interrupted by a few vistas.

New for Gindra was the incorporation of the existing pond into the design. Behind this water came the actual boundary of the park; the northern leasehold meadow (Bloemenhof) was not part of the park and should preferably be separated from it. Just as in his previous designs, the self-contained character - although much more limited in extent - was central to this design. Therefore both the northern meadow and the meadow south of the eastern linden avenue are now of great visual supporting value for the whole; they emphasise the self-contained character of Gindra's layout.

To separate the northern meadow and park, Gindra found a solution by dividing the pond as it were into two parts; a relatively narrow waterway along the carriageway on the east side, following the bend to approximately halfway along the garden meadow - in the English tradition of an 'endless river' - and the large water surface (the actual pond) on the north side, towards the end of the park. Along the waterway lies the screening, dense vegetation on the inside of the park with, beyond the bend, a spacious view over the water towards the opposite bank; at the pond also lies the screening of the park with the cultivated lands around it on the opposite bank, whereby the pond forms a more essential part of the park. The garden meadow slopes slightly towards the pond, whereby from the ground floor of the house the 'river' and the starting point of the pond are not clearly visible. The main structure of the Vaeshartelt park is determined by three visual axes and a circular path. A sunken area planted with trees follows a connecting path across the lawn and divides the park in two, while spatial unity is maintained. The composition of the park is further determined by various diagonal visual axes and the long linden avenue on the east side. The path pattern presumably consisted of two spacious, elliptical arcs, whereby the transverse connecting path was part of both arcs.

The most northern visual axis runs from the house to the highest point of the terrain, an artificial hill behind the pond. In reality this hill is an ice house, with a pavilion/tea house on top of it (now collapsed) and around which a path runs. This ice house with tea house was built by Regout and forms an important part of Gindra's park design. The second visual axis leads from the house (the north wing) straight across the lawn towards the water. The third visual axis directs the view towards the bend in the waterway, somewhat masked by the large red beech in front of the buildings.

Two 'squares' enliven the image and play a role in the diagonal visual axes of the park. The first lay in the far corner near the entrance gate, the second in the bend of the waterway. The latter 'square' was accentuated by a number of fine spruces. Between the boundaries of the park and the circular path, vegetation is present everywhere, which varies greatly in nature and composition. On the inside of the route, elongated strips of various, richly varied tree species are planted. Various groups of conifers (spruce, larch, pine, cypress) and deciduous trees are clearly distinguishable. Solitary trees - mostly exotic species - stand scattered along the linden avenue and in front of the pond. The tree species inventory shows a striking similarity with Gindra's layout for the park at castle Waleffe: tulip tree, horse chestnut, larch, Italian poplar (no longer present), weeping beech, and various other species. Nowadays the pond is bordered among others by plane hybrids; common, variegated, Norwegian and feathered maples; black alders; prunus; native cherry; rowan; American oak, winter oak; mammoth tree; yew; Korean silver fir; horse chestnut; European larch; Weymouth pine; chamaecyparis species; common and brown beech; ash; swamp cypress; crack willow, weeping willow, shining willow; weeping birch; box; elm; Atlas cedar; acacia; common poplar; Christ's thorn; tulip tree. Gindra's park layout did not extend to the south side of the buildings; his layout stopped at the short horse chestnut avenue. From Petrus Regout's definitive move to Vaeshartelt in the early sixties of the nineteenth century, the country estate and particularly the park - without any relation to Gindra's original park design - underwent a transformation into one large 'theatrical backdrop', with a view to commercial recreational exploitation. Theatrical decoration of the park in the form of fountains, sculptures, vases, small-scale buildings etc. was the result. Sculptures without an allegorical character, exclusively as a representation of Regout's power and wealth and as such merely imitations of an earlier application. The park became the setting for the "follies" and monuments, mostly casts and copies. Particularly the water features, cascade and fountains determined the concept of Regout's pleasure garden. In this period the semicircular water basin was laid out on the transition between park and Sterrebos. In the middle of the pond a pagoda-like bath house rose (now disappeared), connected to the shore by one or more footbridges. Also, an excess of small paths were laid across the lawn. Vaeshartelt became the centre of a complex of four country houses (Grand Vaeshartelt, Petit Vaeshartelt, Grande Suisse and Petite Suisse), interconnected by tree-lined avenues. The park of Vaeshartelt was also opened to the public.

Within a few years of Regout's death in 1878, most of the park decoration was no longer present. Also most of the garden buildings were short-lived. The ice house plus tea pavilion, the bridge and a sculpture in the bend of the pond survived, but are in ruinous condition. The paths from the meadow "de Bloemenhof" disappeared again.

After the death of Petrus Regout in 1878, the park was dismantled at great speed; all traces of fountains and structures were carefully removed from the park layout, more and more plots around the buildings received the designation of standard orchards. Various narrow watercourses and ditches were shortened and/or filled in during that period.

The contours and spatial composition of Gindra's original design for the landscape park Vaeshartelt have, despite the many, often drastic changes, remained more or less preserved to this day and in a sense have even been strengthened by the mature growth of the trees. The main structure of the park is still determined by the circular path and the visual axes, by the sunken area planted with trees in the middle, the separation of the park from the surrounding landscape and numerous scattered solitary trees. Also, Vaeshartelt house is still surrounded by standard orchards, meadows and woodland plots, which were of great landscape, cultural-historical and visual value for Gindra's garden layout. Although the expansion of the Beatrixhaven and business complexes have taken up a large part of the country estate, the intimate relationship between the house and park has been maintained.

The core of the country estate has retained its inward-looking character. The old infrastructure (the tree-lined avenues) and the core of the country estate (buildings, gardens, Sterrebos and landscape park) have lost little of their former compactness and allure.