Kasteel Eerde
The Eerde Estate
Eerde and Eerde(r) Achterbroek, together form an estate of some 450 acres lying between Ommen and Den Ham and ranging from the Regge Valley to the northern slopes of the Sallandse Downs. (eerde = earth, arable land; achter = aft, after, behind; broek = brook 'marshy meadows').
Eerder Achterbroek is noted for its varied landscape; farm houses under old oak trees, the occasional woods, patches of heather, high tree-lined paths and land that is cultivated by the seven farming tenants on this particular part of Eerde. Farming forms a living part of Eerde and the Achterbroek. lt is due to the work of the farmers that their farms are living monuments, shaping the whole agricultural land, nature and employment, with own rights and agricultural organization. The holdings of the tenants vary from 8 to 20 acres, with one exception of 32 acres. They are mostly dairy producing although on the more arable land corn is grown for winter fodder. This land is usually adjoining the farm holdings.
The farms, with one exception, are of the Saxon type with a style identified by thatch rooves, evenly placed windows underneath and the so called underbarn at the rear. On the estate it will be noticed that the window shutters on most of the buildings are conspicuous by their colours; yellow and black in an hourglass pattern with a green surround. These are the colours of the van Pallandt coat of arms and are symbolic of the association, dating back centuries, between the castle and the people living on the estate.
Most of the property of Eerde has been gradually handed over by the owner to other authorities. Today, and rightly so, most of the farms on the estate are recognized as historic buildings.
Little is known of the early history or of the original occupants of te castle due to many of the records being destroyed by fire. Perhaps the familiy 'Van Eerde' was not carried on through the male side because it is definitely the woman who come to the fore in its history. The house of Eerde at one time came together with the house of Twickel near Delden, through the marriage in about 1380 of Jutte van Eerde with Herman van Twickel, who became Lord of Twickelo that same year and 12 years later took on the title of Sheriff of Twenthe. In the medieval history of the bishopric of Utrecht (Joh. Beka) is to be found the story of Evert van Essen who was married to Margaretha van Eerde. He had built on the estate a fortification of stone and wood and soon he became one of the most notorious robber knights in the province of Overijssel. We may assume that Jutte van Eerde and Margaretha were sisters, so making Evert the wicked brother-in-law of the Lord of Twickel.
The latter's task involved jurisdiction in the area in his position of Sheriff. However in those times a robber knight was a respectable profession if one had consent. This appeared not to be so in the case of Evert van Essen. After many warnings, Bishop Florens van Wevelinckhoven (1379-1393) decided to punish Van Essen. With help from knights Van Egmond, Van IJsselstein and Van Arkel, he besieged Eerde and razed the fortification to the ground. Eventually the fort was rebuilt on a much larger scale with three towers, moats and a drawbridge.
Not long afterwards the levying of taxes for ships on the rivers Regge and Vecht began again. In 1521 the castle was aqain besieged and destroyed, this time by the the people of nearby Zwolle. lt is not known how many times the castle was destroyed and rebuilt, but in 1625 it stood again as seen on the print.
On April 11th 1706 Baron Werner van Pallandt, lieutenant-general of the Netherlands, purchased the ruins of Eerde from the Dowager Schaap van Winsum. After restless times - there were many skirmishes in this region - there came a period of tranquility for the castle.
In the nineteenth century the castle became, as did most castles in the provinces, a summer residence. So down through the centuries Eerde, like many other castles, became a fortified farmer's dwelling, an uncomfortable fortress, a toll house, a robbers nest, a comfortable manor house and for a short period a luxurious summer residence.
In 1926 Baron van Pallandt gave the castle and estate to Krishnamurti, Star of the East, to be the European home of the movement of the Star. Thousands flocked from all over the world to hear Krishnamurti. The latter disbanded the movement a few years later and returned 'Eerde' to the Baron.
In 1933 under the influence of the Jewish purge in Hitler's Germany Eerde was given its current destination. lt was in September 1933, the advent year of Hitler's Germany that Baron van Pallandt made Castle Eerde available for Jewish refugee children fleeing from the Nazi-persecution. The initiative for this action was taken by the Dutch Quaker Movement, and for this reason Eerde became known as the Quaker School. The war years were sad years for the school. lt was clear that the Nazi invaders would close the school. The last two years of the war saw Castle Eerde as shelter for those who crushed human rights and peace under their feared jackboot.
After the liberation in 1945 the school was restarted. Thanks to the good name which the
school had created during its ten years of existence and thanks to the support of the school
board of directors the International School came into being.
Now there are pupils from all over the world at the school.
The International School Eerde
Kasteellaan 1
7731 PJ Ommen
The Netherlands
Tel. +31-529-451452
Fax. +31-529-456377
E-mail: eerde@dds.nl
Ommen
The oldest building in Ommen is the Dutch reformed church, which was established in 1150. The building has been destroyed by fire on several occasions since then. lt contains a seventeenth century pulpit with a cast copper lectern which is adorned with the Van Pallandt and Haersolte coats of arms.
In the bell-tower beside the church there are two bells, cast in 1517 by Hendrick de Tremonia of Dordrecht. To this day the bells are rung every evening at nine o'clock, a custom which traces its origin to the tradition of ringing the bell at the closing of the city gates: the so-called 'Ave-Maria' peals. Citizens who were still outside the walls were hereby reminded that it was time to re-enter the city and non-citizens were reminded to leave before the gates closed.
In the heart of Ommen you will find three renovated windmills: the Cornmill the 'Lelie' (Lily) from 1846; the 'Konijnenbelts' mill from 1806 and a sawmill from 1824. In the latter is the Antiquities Room. Beside the mill is the Toll-house from 1840, which originally came from the old hamlet Besthmen, which was rebuilt and functions as an exhibition area.
Among the traditions which are still preserved is the weekly open-air market,
which derives from the centuries-old Annual Market the 'Ommer Bissing'.
This Annual Market is also still held. In addition Ommen is known for its allegorical
parade on the Queen's birthday, which attracts many visitors, also from the
surrounding area.
In the new City Hall in the stairwell there is a large wall painting of
Saint Bridget of Kildare. St. Bridget is also represented on the municipal coat of arms.
According to the legend she begged to be made ugly because she was so plagued by men.
Apparently her prayer was not heard because she founded a monastry
in order to avoid them.
More credible than this legend is the real history of St. Bridget. She was born in
Ireland, was Abbess of Kildare and died in 583. In 1185 her remains were found in the
vaults of Downpatrick after which they were transferred to the cathedral. In the reign
of Henry VII her mausoleum was destroyed.
Usually she is represented with a cow, but also with other creatures such as geese
and ducks.
That she became patroness of the church of Ommen is attributable to the influence of the missionaries who came to the district. The inclusion of this saint in the Ommen coat of arms was first disputed by the Supreme Counsel of Nobles, but in 1955 the coat of arms was officially established, with mention of 'St. Bridget of Kildare, patron saint of Ireland'.
For centuries agriculture has been the mainstay of Ommen's existence. Nine hundred men and four hundred women work on approximately 10.000 hectares of farmland. Some of these still live in characteristic Saxon-style farmhouses, notable for their thatched roofs and beautifully painted shutters.
Ommen has its own creamery. lt supplies about 1.8 million of kilos of butter
per year (mainly for export to Greast Britain and Germany) and 4 million kilos of
milk powder. The annual inspections of breeding stock and pedigree bulls of
'Drenthe-Overijssel and Noordoostpolder' are known to thousands of cattle farmers
in western Europe and even as far as the Balkans. The inspection of mares also
attracts many visitors.
To the north of the esker which runs from east to west there used to be a large marsh.
There were also marshes to the south. These areas have been reclaimed mainly in
the course of the last century but also in the present. The larger farms are
situated on the land thus created: the smaller farms occupy the old ridge.
On the farms large scale specialization has taken place, there are being some nowadays with 80 to 100 cows. Some farms are computerized, even down to the feeding of stock.
The cultivation of the land has taken place relatively recently and the best farming land is now to be found where the first turf was harvested. Half of the 10.000 hectares mentioned above have only been cultivated since 1920. In order to make these farms accessible many new roads were built: these comprise the majority of the municipality's 500 kilometres of roads.
The Ommen forestry of about 2.000 acres is part of the former Estate Eerde.
There are many walking routes. One of these is called the 'drift-sand' walk.
It goes through a mainly hilly area, largely covered with fir trees, with here
and there sand-banks. These areas were formerly moorlands and wastelands with sand-banks.
When the top-sods were removed from these moorlands and wastelands to be used for
the so-called 'pot' stables, the sand areas threatened to expand, and began to
form a threat to the surrounding farmland. To prevent this, about two hundred
years ago, it was decided to afforestate these areas. This provided for a
demand for timber at the same time.
One the best known recreation areas within the municipality of Ommen is the 'Lemelerberg'
(the berg = mountain of the hamlet of Lemele). lt is a 79 meter high hill, at the foot
of which is situated Lemele. At one time the Lemelerberg was entirely covered with heath.
The Orange League of Order bought pieces of land on the hill and planted it with deciduous
tree sorts. The League also founded 'Park 1813' as a remembrance of Holland's independence.
In addition on the Lemelerberg is to be found the 'Big Stone'. This huge boulder served
formerly as a border-stone between Lemele and Archem, the latter being a rustic hamlet,
with fine farm houses which were mentioned as far back as 947. A splendid view can be
enjoyed from the summit of the hill: one can see as far as Germany in the east and Steenwijk
in the north.
In winter, if there is snow, the Lemelerberg becomes a ski-resort.
Ommen has many camping-sites, summer houses and good hotels. For both holidaygoers
and day-trippers it is an attractive are. Not surprisingly we learn that Ommen
takes care of over a million tourists, staying overnight, per year.
Boy scouting also comes under the heading of recreation. Baron van Pallandt
of Eerde Castle did a lot at the beginning of the century, towards the spread of
the scouting movement to Holland, and Ommen became the cradle of the movement in
the country. Thanks to 'Scouting Netherland' Ommen is still a national and an
international centre. Biennially the 'Besthmenerberg', which is well known for
its scout camps, is host to seven to eight thousand people.
lt goes without saying that natural beauty is not the only attraction for tourists.
Anybody who appreciaties the beauty of the city can also satisfy his tastes in Ommen,
although many items of interest have been regretably destroyed.
The old centre, with its narrow streets paved with cobble stones (childrenheads)
has been tastefully restored.
A pedestrian area has been established with many attractive shops, of all shapes
and sizes.