Historische aanleg, Heiligenbergerweg bij 5

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 GARDEN AND PARK LAYOUT. The 3 components that have determined the layout of the Heiligenberg through the centuries are the hill, the stream and the Heiligenbergerweg. Of these three, the hill is the most striking element. This 12 metre high, slightly horseshoe-shaped "hill" is actually a land or river dune and originated during the last ice age. Bishop Ansfried of Utrecht (995-1010) founded the monastery Hohorst around 1000, which was relocated to Utrecht in 1050 and became the St. Paulusabdij there. On the hill and later at its foot, a provost's lodge and poultry farm of this abbey remained established.

The presumed oldest depiction of the layout of the Heiligenberg dates from 1565 and can be found on the city plan of Amersfoort by Jacob van Deventer. On the map the Heiligenbergerbeek and -weg are already visible. The house came into use as a country estate around 1640 and a garden in (early) classical style was laid out. Around 1700 this garden was expanded in baroque style; the results can be seen on prints by Cornelis Pronk (1729/30), Jan de Beyer (1749) and on a bird's-eye view map from around 1700.

The current layout of the Heiligenberg park dates in broad outline from the early 19th century. Around 1807-1815 the then owner, Ernst Louis van Hardenbroek (1774-1843) had a new house built and in compositional relation to this altered the layout of the park in landscape style. Thus, among other things, the original watercourses of the formal layout were reworked in landscape style.

The park would initially have been laid out by Hendrik van Lunteren. Kramm namely mentions in his "Levens en werken..." from 1859 at Hendrik van Lunteren "den aanleg van den Heiligenberg, bij Amersfoort". It is possible that this layout was later (around 1830) modified by Jan David Zocher jr., since Immerzeel in his "Levens en werken..." from 1843 states that Zocher jr. "de waterwerken en oranjerie op Heiligenberg" has laid out.

On the Cadastral minute plan from 1815-1832 and the associated schedules from 1827, however, it can be seen that the structure of the current park layout was already present in 1827. This map shows on the east side of the house an open space in landscape style with a large pond, also called the Zwanewater. That name is related to the presumed correspondence of the shape of the water feature with a swan.

On the west side of the house a park wood in landscape style was laid out on and around the hill, separated from the house by a drive running in a curve. The park wood presently displays standing deciduous timber, with 19th and 20th century beeches, oaks, maples, lindens and horse chestnuts. On the south-west side of the orangery there is a hornbeam and a walnut.

This park wood is intersected by a watercourse in landscape style which is connected to the Zwanewater and the Heiligenbergerbeek. North of this watercourse there is another park wood, intersected by paths running in curves and with vegetation of beech, oak, maple, chestnut, plane, larch, birch and rhododendron.

The house stands on a gently sloping elevation of lawn and meadow, which was laid out with the earth that was freed up when the Zwanewater, located in the outer park, was created. From the public road and the outer park, a spacious view of the house was thus created, which within the layout has great ornamental value. The wooded hill closes off this view at the rear. From the house a spacious view has been created over the meadows and the Zwanewater which ends at a wood screen in landscape style with 19th and 20th century oak, beech and rhododendron and which is enlivened by the dovecote placed here. The view of the meadow in front of the house is articulated by a few solitary trees, including sessile oak and common beech.

The park wood is intersected by a largely preserved pattern of winding paths and the watercourses were originally crossed by ornamental little bridges. Beside the aforementioned view from the house to the dovecote, there is also a view of the ornamental toll house, which likewise dates from circa 1830. There was furthermore a right of view to the Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren in Amersfoort, dated 29 April 1848. That view has now grown over. The current vegetable garden to the south-west of the park wood around the hill was likewise laid out at the beginning of the 19th century.