History of the Oldegaerde estate in Dwingeloo re-examined in a thick book. ‘We fell from one surprise to another’

Admittedly, the renovation of the centuries-old Oldengaerde estate in Dwingeloo was completed last year, but so many new insights were gained that it took a while to properly document them all and to link them together historically. Now it’s time. Thursday afternoon will be more than 300 pages of work Oldengaerde, the story of a manor house and its inhabitants finally presented.

“We went from one surprise to another during our research,” says historian Bertus Boivin. “The book got thicker and thicker as a result. We learned a lot of new things and that is precisely why I am so happy with the end result.”

1717 or 1660?

As project manager and editor-in-chief, Boivin is proud of the thick book about Oldengaerde, to which several historians and experts contributed. The reader not only gets to know the families who have lived here for generations, but also gets an explanation about the five-year renovation of the manor house and various discoveries that were made.

“For example, the year 1717 is very prominent above the entrance. It was always thought that this was the year in which Oldengaerde got its current appearance,” explains Boivin. “After thorough building history research, that turns out not to be the case at all. It is now almost certain that the major renovation already took place around 1660. So half a century earlier.”

Over the centuries, much has been published about the estate. In doing so, writers often repeated old claims over and over again. The creators of this new book have re-examined numerous historical assumptions. “That makes this book much more complete than previous publications,” says Boivin.

Eight generations of Van Echten

New facts have come to light, among other things, because researchers can now determine quite accurately how old wooden beams or a wall of bricks are. All kinds of layers that were exposed during the renovation have been mapped in this way. This enabled researchers to determine more accurately than ever before how the manor house has changed over the years. Often these adjustments also say something about the spirit of the times. The book therefore also pays attention to the culture and traditions of Drenthe.

“But in an accessible way,” says Boivin. “We have tried not to make it an expert’s book, but a readable whole for the widest possible audience. I think this worked out fine. The book has beautiful images, is beautifully designed and feels nice and heavy in the hand. Fun to read for anyone with an interest in Drenthe history.”

The history of Oldengaerde itself began in the first half of the 15th century. Reynolt van Echten settled in Dwingeloo and had a stone manor house built. His son Volker was the first to call himself Van Echten tot Oldengaerde. In total, eight generations of Van Echten would be lord of Oldengaerde in 240 years, before the estate came into the hands of the Van Dongen family. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the manor house was converted into the house it is today.

Richest man in Drenthe

Between 1781 and 1808, Oldengaerde changed owners several times, before the manor came into the hands of Aalt Willem van Holthe. He paid 20,000 guilders for it.

“Van Holthe was the richest man in Drenthe and was in the timber trade,” says Boivin. “With him begins another part of the estate’s history. Not as a residence for the most important nobility of the province, but as an investment. He is expanding the estate by hundreds of hectares.”

The last four owners were the four daughters of Ida Elisabeth Catharina Westra van Holthe (1906-1959), a descendant of Aalt Willem, who was married to Johan Anton Willinge (1904-1991). The four sisters donated the manor in 2013 to the Het Drentse Landschap foundation. The renovation of the estate started in 2017 and was completed last year.

“The Drenthe Landscape thought it was extremely important to preserve this manor for Drenthe and restore it to its former glory,” says Boivin. “This was done with great respect for the architectural history of the building. When you walk through it, you hardly notice that it has been restored. The atmosphere of the past is still there. I think that is wonderful and this book fits in very well with that.”