Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Overveen

Duinlust is one of the many so called buitenplaatsen (summer residences) west of the city of Haarlem along the inner dunes. Wealthy merchants from Amsterdam built here their mansions. In 1783 a first house was built. After it was old in 1810 the new owner founded the Duinlust country estate and built a white house built in Empire style. There was also an orangerie, which still exists. In 1828 the house was sold again to Johanna Jacoba van de Velde, who also was the owner of the nearby Elswout ountry estate . After her death, the country estate goes to her son Willem Borski, a well-known Amsterdam banker. It became the summer residence of his eldest daughter Johanna Jacoba. After Willem Borski's death in 1881, she inherited the estate. Johanna Jacoba had a new house built by architect Constantijn Muysken in 1881. It is designed in neo-renaissance style. During the World War II, Dutch troops were stationed there, later it was confiscated by the German occupiers. During the last weeks of the war it was used by Canadians and the Homeland Forces. The house was in poor condition and as of November 1, 1947, the government rented the country estate and restored Duinlust. The CIOS (the first school for sports leaders) was located in the house from 1948 to 2001. Nowadays the mansion is used for events. The surrounding park is a nature reserve managed by Staatsbosbeheer (a Dutch government organization for forestry and the management of nature reserves).

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.