Plans for the renovation of the Geldrop Castle grounds date from 2010. “We had been noticing the deterioration of the gardens or some time”, says Jan Vellekoop, project leader for the garden renovation. However, the economic crisis and hassle over permits and subsidies slowed procedures down until work could finally start in 2022.
The garden may have had its official re-opeining ceremony in May, with Geldrop-born Olympic swimmer Pieter van den Hoogeband as its ambassador, the renovation is not yet fully complete. “We got behind on schedule”, says Vellekoop. “Prolonged rainfall made it impossible for the gardeners to lay out the paths. We really need a few dry weeks for the project to be truly completed.”.
Inspiration
Original design drawings from 1870 formed the inspiration for the current renovatiom. “Everything you see now would have looked the same then. A master gardener designed the garden in English garden style”, Vellekoop explains, but with one difference. “Whereas the gardens used to be surrounded by high walls and were inaccessible to the public, we have created a communal garden where everyone can find their own way to spend time there”.
Since the lords of Geldrop had the castle built in the 14th century in a swampy area along the Kleine Dommel, it was destroyed, rebuilt and renovated several times over the past 650 years. Since 1870, however, little has changed. The castle outbuildings and interior date back to this time, and with the current renovation restoring the garden to its late nineteenth century look, a visitor from the 1870s would find nothing to surprise them, apart perhaps from some odd-looking 21st century fellow visitors.
To do and to see
Should you plan to see for yourself this summer, there is a sensory garden, a petting zoo, an exhibition, a Flower Garden – Bloemenhof– and a range of guided tours.
The castle is open free of charge from July 9 to August 24 on Tuesday to Sunday between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM.
Source: Studio040 and Geldrop Castle
Translated and edited by Greta
