Nederland - Oranjewoud, De Belvedère

The Belvedère is a watchtower in the forest area of Oranjewoud.

Andreas Willem Tjaarda - owner of Logement Heidewoud, nowadays Golden Tulip Hotel Tjaarda - had a wooden watchtower built on the Berg van Brongerga, a small hill almost ten meters high, in 1917. The area was and is known as Tjaarda’s Bosch (Tjaarda´s Forest). In 1924 this wooden construction was replaced by a reinforced concrete tower due to dilapidation.

The octagonal watchtower has nine stairs of twelve steps and a height of eighteen meters. When the height of the hill is added, the eye level of a person on the tower is almost thirty meters above ground level. This tower also fell into disrepair, but instead of being demolished, it was restored after seventy years.

The observation tower is a special feature: it is one of the oldest concrete structures with such large dimensions. The Belvedère is a Dutch national monument.