In the program The Lost City we go to a different place in Haarlem every time to see how it has changed over time. This time we take a look inside Paviljoen Welgelegen on the Haarlemmer Hout. Once built by the wealthy banker Henry Hope, the country house now houses the government of the province of North Holland. The history can still be felt. For example, the office of King Arthur van Dijk’s Commissioner was once the place where kings, emperors, tsars and presidents were received.
“Here he received his guests,” says King’s Commissioner Arthur van Dijk. He welcomes us into his study, once the reception room of the wealthy Scottish banker Henry Hope (1735-1811). “This is where it started to impress his clientele, to show how well he did as a banker.”
“On the spot where you are now,” says Van Dijk during the interview, “there were kings, emperors, tsars and presidents. Even Thomas Jefferson stood there before he became president.”
Thomas Jefferson was one of the founding fathers of the United States of America. In short, a special place to have as an office.
“It is actually very special that such a building from 1789 is now used as an office. It also has its limitations, because I will not touch everything you see here. My curator comes to wind the clock every month. functions well as a provincial house.”
Impress
The country house that Henry Hope had built on the edge of the Haarlemmer Hout was first and foremost intended to impress. It was also more of a museum than a place to live. Hope therefore owned an important art collection. Paintings by Van Dyck, Raphael, Titian and Rubens hung on the walls. It couldn’t be done and it could cost something.
“It is now the Statenzaal,” says architectural historian Pieter Vlaardingerbroek, “but it was the great hall of Hope. The most monumental space where his most beautiful paintings used to hang is now the place from which the province of North Holland is governed.”
He points out the Corinthian columns all around, which give the room more relief and depth. “There’s a balcony above,” he explains, “which gives you the idea of a room in two layers. And of course the height. It is one of the highest rooms we have in the eighteenth century. had to be.”
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The high museum rooms were clearly intended to impress his guests. The whole building consists of spaces of different sizes. According to Vlaardingerbroek, clearly intended to surpass and convince. “If you go from large to large to large every time, it becomes boring. The contrast effect from small to large is therefore essential in this house.”
That effect is immediately visible upon entry. The reception hall is smaller than you would expect, but walk further and take the stairs up, you will be immediately surprised by its size.
Pieter Vlaardingerbroek does not hide his enthusiasm: “The width of the stairs is about two meters, all in marble. It continues to the first floor. That is exceptional for the eighteenth century. In Amsterdam, for example, in all those fantastic canal houses, is nothing that comes close to such a staircase.”
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“In all those fantastic canal houses in Amsterdam, there is nothing that comes close to such a staircase.”
Revenue
The museum rooms with art, the music room, the impressive marble staircase. Henry Hope didn’t skimp on costs. He didn’t have to, because he had enough money. More than enough money even. Because he invested as a banker in everything that could be of interest to him, the province this year commissioned an investigation into the origin of that money. Did he also invest in activities directly related to slavery?
That was of course not uncommon at the time. He will most likely have made money from this, that was the outcome, but it was not the main source of income. Hope earned his money mainly from government loans, which yielded much more. Ultimately, those investments would also ensure that he had to flee to England in 1794. He had lent the English money for their war against the French and when Napoleon approached our country with his troops, he was very concerned about his safety. So he was not allowed to enjoy his phenomenal country house for a very long time.
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