More than a hundred books she went through several times: the Swiss researcher Nina Litsios. She writes her Master Thesis about the stories of former students from the horticultural school in Frederiksoord. Who were they and what ended up from them? That while she barely spoke Dutch.
“In the beginning it was a bit difficult for me,” she says. “I have now read the booklets two or three times. Those are thousands of words. This project has improved my Dutch in the meantime.”
Last year, Litsios, together with a friend as an artist in Residence, ended up with the test, the former horticultural school. They were allowed to spend the night on location and were able to get inspiration for their art project from the huge garden and the building. “I thought why not?” She laughs. “I didn’t know much about the place yet. I knew it is a garden somewhere in Drenthe, but I didn’t know where Drenthe was.”
During her time in Frederiksoord, she gets to know the place better and better. The horticultural school was founded by a gift from Major van Swieten in 1884 and opposed the ideas of the colonies of beneficiary that revolved around training and labor. That is why the school is part of the UNESCO World Heritage. In the 120 years that followed, many people, also known as garden hare.
“Frederiksoord is a village with many, many stories,” says Litsios. “I find the story of the school and history very interesting.”
After conversations with those involved in the test, she received a crate full of yearbooks from a former student. The books were made from 1900 to 2003 by the garden hare who kept each other informed of the garden and each other’s lives. Can be compared with an extensive newsletter.