Brummen - Landgoed Voorstonden - Brummen

Voorstonden estate in Brummen is a country estate that was used as a summer residence for wealthy city dwellers. The current, white-plastered house is the result of extensive renovations of an old Havezate in 1825. These renovations also included the creation of an English park designed by landscape architect Jan David Zocher. Countryside In the […]

Countryside

In the center and west of the Netherlands, wealthy city dwellers built country estates in the surrounding rural area between 1600 and 1900. This was done to avoid the stench, unhealthy epidemics and the hustle and bustle of the city in the summer. The monumental country house formed an inseparable whole with the surrounding garden. Often a farm was also built and rented out. The tenant worked the land and provided fruit and vegetables.

Havezate

The same development took place in the North, East and South of the Netherlands. Only here, country estates often arise from older fortifications, such as castles or estates. Originally a manor was the name for a fortified farm with land, but in the 17th century it became a noble estate. You had to own at least such a manor to become a member of a knighthood. Huis Voorstonden has been known as a manor since 1600. The estate was then in the possession of Gijsbert van Wisch tot Voorstonden. Through his daughter Anna (†1656), it came into the possession of the noble Schimmelpenninck van der Oye family.

Zocher

The park around Voorstonden was designed by the famous landscape architect Jan David Zocher Jr. Zocher designed the park as a typical English garden. French gardens were fashionable until 1800. The layout was sleek and formal, with lots of symmetry and sculptures. The English garden, on the other hand, was more park-like. The romantic landscapes often had surprising vistas. To achieve that effect, people preferred to build lawns on hilly terrain. Interspersed here and there with groups of trees. Voorstonden Estate is a good example of this.