About Berkenrode…

The earliest years...

A few big steps through the old archives reveal that Berkenrode was a lordship and municipality near Haarlem in the 13th century. In 1466 the 'seigniorial rights' of Berkenrode came into the hands of the then (wealthy) owner of the castle of Berkenrode, Gerrit van Berckenrode. From that moment on, he was allowed to call himself 'Lord of Berkenrode'.

Converted stable...

A garage has been built at Berkenrode for cars instead of carriages in a period when these hardly existed. Hendrik and his wife are the last of the 'Crommelins' to live at Berkenrode. They do this in the converted stable, a large, white-painted house with a red roof about the middle of the estate (the house that now serves as the main house).

Gardener's house

The garden bell still has the original garden bell on the gardener's house. This was still used in the first half of the last century when it was lunchtime at noon to call the gardener somewhere on the estate.
18th century garden walls, north and west, separate the vegetable garden, which is almost completely surrounded by watercourses. The horse stables in the meadow next to the driveway are rented out. 

The house with a red roof...

The house with a red roof, called 'Berkenrode', where you can still see from the large garage door that it was once a horse stable, is surrounded by a beautiful garden. It contains a white marble statue of 'Leda and the Swan', a mythological figure from ancient Greece, probably late 18th century. 

Excavations

In 1956-1957, excavations took place on the site of the former house in the pond led by the National Service for Archaeological Soil Research. Old weapons, such as pistols and shields, have been found here.

When you walk through the park in the spring, it is a pleasure to look at all the flowering stinse plants. Vineyard snails develop in some trees. Winding paths, the pond, centuries-old oak trees and a few remnants of natural landscaping are reminders of the once magnificent garden layout.