Nederland - Overveen, Elswout

Dutch economy reached a peak in the Golden Age. To escape the foul stench of the city in the summer, wealthy Amsterdam merchants invested in luxurious country estates with park-like gardens in the forested inner dunes. Thanks to a system of barge-canals and rivers, they could travel from Amsterdam to their estates in just a few hours. The area west of Haarlem (Kennemerland) became the cradle of these country estates.

Buitenplaats (summer residence) Elswout was founded in the middle of the 17th century by Carel du Moulin, but the Amsterdammer Gabriel Marcelis completed the first construction of Elswout. Over the centuries, many great architects worked on the ever-changing architecture.

The oldest buildings on Elswout date from the 17th century. The construction of the Grote Huis (Big House) on the Elswout Estate already started in 1884. When the façades and the terraces were completed, the client Willem Borski jr. died and construction came to a standstill. Although the building was given various functions after his death, it remained unfinished.

After being occupied by the Germans during World War II the building was in bad shape. It later functioned for different purposes like schools. Elswout estate and the house became property of the municipality in 1958 and the Dutch State Forestry Commission in 1970. Over the years they could not find a proper function for the building and decided to have a competition for the rebuilding and renovation of the estates building. A private company decided to take up the challenge. After thorough search and research the original plans from around 1814 were found. Restoring the building’s interior and exterior according to those plans started in 2004 and realizing a new high end office function for the building.

Elswout also offers one of the most beautiful and watery country estates along the inner dune edge of Zuid-Kennemerland National Park. This 85-hectare national monument has a rich plant and animal life and is dotted with several special follies. Because of the special flora and fauna, Elswout (and the rest of National Park Zuid- Kennemerland) have a Natura 2000 status and the area is part of the European protected nature network.

The Elswout house has never been open to the public, so it can only be admired from the outside. The garden can be visited and access is free.