Moretusbos

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

Park layout (component 1)

Introduction

The park layout of the Moretusbos complex is the northern part of the park layout belonging to the historical country estate Ravenhof, formerly called Moretushof and Steenland farm. The Moretusbos is situated on Dutch territory whilst the house, coach house, forecourt, southern layout and utility gardens are in Belgium. For the historical development, see the complex description.

Description

The PARK LAYOUT of the Moretusbos complex is a park wood retaining an eighteenth-century formal ground plan with some modest additions in landscape style. Oriented towards the main house, there is a sight axis with on an elevation the tea house De Gloriette (component 2). This central sight axis is between the border road and the Gloriette surrounded by two hook-shaped earthworks with between them a grass parterre. From the parterre steps (modified in the late twentieth century) lead on the east and west sides to a plateau halfway between the parterre and the tea house, from where a second staircase in the middle of the sight axis leads to the entrance of the cottage. To the north of the Gloriette the central axis has a wood section and an avenue on either side. The axis has three terminations, heading north respectively a semicircular, a rectangular and finally again a semicircular one (exedra). The two southern terminations no longer function as such because a narrow unmetalled walking path now runs along the entire length of the sight axis, also over the section that was interrupted in the nineteenth century. The most northern part has an avenue planting of copper beech. To the east of the eastern avenue there is a watercourse equipped with masonry culverts with sandstone covers. Masonry culverts are also present elsewhere in the park. On the south-east side there is a former star wood with paths in star pattern but most of the wood has been felled. The centre is formed by a copper beech. On the west side lies the eighteenth-century Warande, an east-west oriented rectangular layout with a bend towards the north-west, like the eighteenth-century section of the central axis surrounded by raised drives (approximately 5 metres high). The content of the warande within the earthworks consists of a centrally located walking path with circular element and an open planting of alternating trees, herbaceous plants and rhododendrons. Through the otherwise straight wood sections in the park with straight avenues a slightly winding path runs from the Warande towards the so-called Fort. This earthwork surrounded by a moat was incorporated in the nineteenth century as a point of interest along the walk in the park. The path can then be followed further to the Geldberg, a hill which offers views to the north over open agricultural land. The boundary of the layout is indicated on the map belonging to the designation.

Valuation

The Moretusbos, the northern park section of the country estate Ravenhof is of importance because of:

- The garden-historical values: as a rare and intact example of a formal layout from the eighteenth century with a central axis and symmetrical layout on either side, strongly elevated paths that include those surrounding the warande, linear slopes and view hills;

- The historical values: because of the location across the national border of the country estate which has nonetheless been preserved as a single unit;

- The cultural-historical values: because of the influence of the Antwerp Moretus family on the socio-economic development and the arrangement of the area.