The province of Drenthe will help pay for the restoration and sustainability of the old Gerard Adriaan van Swieten Horticulture School in Frederiksoord. In addition, money will once again be allocated for the restoration, repurposing and sustainability of the fourteen service residences in Veenhuizen.
This amounts to a total of 750,000 euros. Half a million goes to the horticultural school, which dates back to 1884, and 250,000 euros goes to De Nieuwe Rentmeester, which restores homes in Veenhuizen. Previously, 750,000 euros had already been allocated for this.
The Horticultural School in Frederiksoord is a national monument, but is in poor condition. It is the oldest horticultural school in the Netherlands, where vocational education was given to children of colonists in the Colonies of Benevolence.
In 2022, the building came back into the possession of the Society of Benevolence after a long time. They want to convert the complex into a hotel this year. This requires 2.5 million euros. In addition to the money from the province, the Benevolent Society provides the rest of the money. This includes a loan of 250,000 euros from the National Restoration Fund.
In September last year, the province announced that it would provide a subsidy of 750,000 euros to the De Nieuwe Rentmeester foundation for the restoration of 14 service residences on the Oude Asserstraat/Plantsoenstraat in Veenhuizen. These seven double houses are the monumental pearls of Veenhuizen, but are in very poor condition. For example, a building no longer has a roof, other buildings are partly boarded up.
The contributions are part of the ’10-year Colonies of Benevolence plan’. The aim of this plan is to ensure that the monuments in the Dutch UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Veenhuizen and Frederiksoord-Wilhelminaoord are in good condition and, where necessary, provided with a suitable new function. The monuments that are in the worst condition in terms of maintenance are given priority for restoration.