Zoetermeer’s mystery: this is when you can officially call a house a mansion

They are usually stately buildings that belong to a part of the face of Zoetermeer: ​​mansions! You can find them in various places in the city and they often look imposing. But when is a mansion officially a mansion?

Walk around the Vlamingstraat or the Eerste Stationsstraat and you will find one mansion after another. They often have brick facades and so-called ‘bacon bands’. These are the light-colored horizontal stripes that adorn many mansions in Zoetermeer. In addition, there is often a staircase that leads to the front door.

Multiple floors

Back to the main question, because is a house in Zoetermeer with bacon tires automatically a mansion? No! According to L. Roscam Abbing, the author of A mansion full of ornaments, a mansion is a residence built between 1880 and 1920. According to the author, the house has at least two floors and an attic or third floor with regular rooms.

Differences from other homes

Unlike other buildings that were built at that time, according to L. Roscam Abbing, a mansion has only one function: to live. That was not always the case at other buildings in Zoetermeer; a building often also had a shopping function or was a place for meetings, for example. Because not many Zoetermeer residents could afford a mansion, residents of these luxurious buildings were usually anything but poor.

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Characteristics of a mansion

Although L. Roscam Abbing only residences. built between 1880 and 1920. as a mansion, many other architects let go of that requirement. Even now townhouses are still being built and they sometimes have a more modern style. They do not always have the characteristic bacon belts or steps, but they do meet the other requirements. Consider, for example, homes in Oosterheem and Rokkeveen.

Also spotted a mystery?

Another mystery solved! Do you also have a question about Zoetermeer? For example, are you curious about the story behind that huge head along the highway? Or the reason why some public gardens are cut in half? indebuurt is looking into it! Mail your mystery to [email protected].