‘Hollands Glorie’
‘The pride of Holland’. In the 17th and 18th century the rich Dutch bourgeoisie built houses like this outside the cities at their newly acquired country estates. These were country houses (‘buitenhuizen’) where the owners would spend the summer months with their families.
Between Amsterdam and Utrecht many of these country houses were built along the rivers Vecht and Amstel. During walks, cycle rides or boat trips one can still see quite a few that have survived the ages. The same holds for the dune area between The Hague, Leiden and Haarlem, where the country house of the picture is located.
Oh how often have I marveled – and fantasized – at the sight of these houses with their elegant, stately architecture in their beautiful natural surroundings. ‘Hollands glorie’ of the opulent rich of the Dutch Golden Age.
Photo of the week: Country house ‘Huis te Manpad’ (1630, restored in 1720 and 1945), Heemstede, Netherlands 2021
καιρός remembered 
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