Jagtlust

From HGwiki

Jagtlust is a name given at a fairly late stage to a homestead which was first mentioned in 1660. In the course of the 18th century the homestead has been renamed a few times, and it was possibly used as an inn. Only in 1792 the homestead was upgraded to an actual estate with the name Jagtlust. Above we see Jagtlust as it was in 1815, on a drawing by local artist Jan van Ravenswaay. This view is supported by a photo on a postcard, taken by the end of the 19th century. In 1899 the estate was reconstructed exstensively into the building as it is now.

While Jagtlust boasts an elaborate orangerie since its reconstruction of 1899, there are (were) other interesting garden features on site. A greenhouse used for the cultivation of grapes was mentioned in 1824, and in 1865 a grotto was reported, which has survived to this day. There is also a dovecote, built in 1862, and a small (play)house for children, built in 1910.

From 1992 onwards, Jagtlust has been restored by the architect Bob van Beek and the French decorator Michel Biehn. In 2006 it was sold to the nature preservation society Natuurmonumenten for a lot less money than the seller initially asked for. In return, the seller will continue to live on the estate, in the coach house, which he will be renting from the new owner.

In April 2008, plans to turn Jagtlust into a care home (zorghotel) came as a surprise for the local council, and yielded protests from a neighbour, who used to be a caretaker at Jagtlust for many years. The council says it has not yet received any requests to change any zoning plans that are currently in place.