Berg en Bosch

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

Description

A MAIN BUILDING located parallel to the north side of the main axis, on a complex floor plan, consisting of a main volume parallel to the square of two and three storeys with main entrance. Perpendicular to this is located at the rear a long wing section in north-south direction of one storey. This wing has four perpendicularly placed secondary wings in east-west direction, two on each side which are aligned end to end. At the southern intersection a lantern under a tent roof has been placed as an accent feature. The northern secondary wings have an L-shaped floor plan and are longer than the southern ones. At each end of the latter wings there are two obliquely placed pavilions of which one is in possession of a wooden OPEN-AIR SHELTER (northeast). The building volume at the square consists of a central section of three storeys with two short wings of two storeys extending from it. The building sections, which in the front and rear facades are conceived as a unified whole, are covered with red Dutch tile gabled roofs. In the middle a bell turret under a copper spire with weathervane has been placed on the ridge. The facades are executed in yellow brick, with the joints flush-brushed. The windows in the facade have steel frames with glazing bars and are of varying size. Larger windows have concrete lintels.

The front facade has a symmetrical layout and is nine window bays wide. The main entrance placed on the central axis is recessed into the facade and is formed by three discharge arches stepped one behind the other which rest on natural stone, chamfered setting stones. The chamfered corners of the portico are adorned with natural stone reliefs by Mari Andriessen. The reliefs are composed of three natural stone bands placed on top of each other. The main scene on the left relief depicts a sick worker entering the sanatorium to be healed. The smaller reliefs refer to the healing process in the sanatorium, represented by a radiant sun, a doctor examining the patient and a nurse standing by a bed. The relief on the right shows the return of the healed worker. Here too are three smaller reliefs that refer to life in the sanatorium. Above the entrance the name of the hospital and the building year are inscribed in wrought iron letters. In the third storey two wall anchors formed in medical symbols are affixed.

The rear facade has an asymmetrical layout. On the right corner there is a loggia in the second storey. The loggia is opened on two sides with a rounded arch. In the upper facade section are two Flemish gables under a capping roof placed. Their tops are covered with vertical brass-grooved panels.

In the interior there is a monumental hall with staircase. This is entirely executed in fair-faced brickwork. A high plinth is executed in Flemish bond brickwork of blue-glazed brick. The wall above it is executed in half-brick bond of red brick. The hall is bounded by means of discharge arches on natural stone setting stones and consoles. Upon entry on the left is a window section with a counter and glass-in-lead windows executed in various shades of yellow. Beyond the left corridor is a brick staircase, the treads of which are executed in wood. The corridors and hall have travertine floors. The stairwell has a three-part window with wall mullions, natural stone setting stones and underdorpels. The windows have glass-in-lead windows by Henri Jonas, depicting sick people grouped around Christ. The window determines the light entry of the hall. The first floor of the hall has a lower plinth in blue-glazed stone than the ground floor. The balustrade also executed in blue-glazed stone has small cross-shaped recesses. The arrangement of the wings at the rear of the main volume is, in relation to the open spaces between them, an important characteristic. In addition, the height, form and colour use of the original buildings play a determining role in the appearance of the complex. The buildings are predominantly one storey and are covered with gabled roofs covered with red Dutch tiles. The facades are executed in yellow brick, in which windows with steel or wooden frames of various sizes are set.

All later, mainly post-war additions and those considered to be of subordinate importance, are in most cases executed lower and have not broken through the original arrangement, whereby their disturbance in that respect is subordinate. Nevertheless, they have obscured the view of many original facades.

At the end of the northern wing on the right is a former open-air shelter, of which the exterior is in virtually original condition. The open-air shelter consists of a wooden superstructure on a brick plinth under a lean-to roof with overhang. The originally open front on the south side is now closed with windows.

Valuation

The main building with open-air shelter of the Berg en Bosch hospital is of general interest because of its cultural-historical value as part of and expression of a medical struggle against tuberculosis, as well as because of its architectural-historical value due to the arrangement of the wings and the use of material and colour and as a good example of a sanatorium main building in Delft School style. Also of value as part of the oeuvre of architects Koldewey and Van Moorsel. The main building is also of general interest because of its ensemble value as part of the complex.