Beeldengalerij Haarlem
A day in the Haarlemmerhout park
along modern and classical sculptures, the historical provincial palace, English style park with deer enclosure, petting zoo, minigolf, catering facilities, monumental trees.
Start
The walking route described below starts and finishes at the Grote Houtbrug (Bridge), which is located at the end of the Grote Houtstraat, one of the main shopping streets in the centre of Haarlem.10 minutes from the Grote Markt. The length is about 4 kilometers.
Grote Houtbrug (Bridge)
On both the left and right side of this bridge there are granite sculptures representing two 16th century Flemish refugees made by Hendrik van den Eynde in the 1920s. When facing away from the city centre the famous painter Frans Hals is on the right and on the left is Lieven de Key, architect of historical Haarlem landmarks such as the Vleeshallen and city hall on the Grote Markt. The sculptures appear to stand in a futuristic city scape as it would be imagined in the 1920's. Similar to artwork from the contemporary movie Metropolis. On the background there are reliefs evoking ancient times.
Houtplein
The installation Bodybuilding is made with old phoneboots by brothers Jan and Paul Schietekat, by coincidence again two Flemings. A fun thing when experiencing art is that you can decide for yourself what has meaning for you and what doesn't. Notice the equation E=CM2 on top of the installation. It stands for the energy of a city environment. In any case, the old phone booths with anonymous figures in them, still make you think about the impact of modern communication technology.
On the other side of the street you can see the Hirondelle sculpture by Jackie Sleper under the monumental tree. It is a delicate image full of symbolism. The swallow, whose belly has been torn open, lies on a young hand. Red coral emerges from the abdomen as a sign of life. It is protected or crushed by a great hand. The viewer can decide that for themselves. Jackie Sleper: "For a short period I felt like this swallow. As if I was being crushed."
The artwork is located right in front of the old plane tree that is more than 180 years old. In the middle of the city among the traffic, he still manages to hold his own. We have to be careful with him. |
Dreef
The Dreef is an extension of the Houtplein. The first image you see there is Girozoom inc. by Willem Harbers. The tangle of pipes represents industrial installations but also the trees that grow above them. The lower pipes can be part of an installation to pump raw materials from the earth; from this grow organically shaped tubes like branches of a technical tree. The work raises questions about the consumption of raw materials.
On the left side of the path is the bronze statue ‘Man in front of the firing squad’ by Mari Andriessen. This is a monument in memory of the execution of several randomly selected citizens that took place here in 1945. The man radiates resignation and rock-solid conviction.
Until 1940, the Dreef and Fonteinlaan together were a walking avenue lined with trees. That character can still be recognized in the Dreef between Houtplein and Provincial Palace. In the 19th century there were many cafés and lodgings with terraces. The Haarlem citizenry came here to relax on Sundays. Wealthy people from Amsterdam liked to escape their smelly city in the summer and came by barge to walk in this fresh environment. |
A little further ahead on the right is an imposing steel pillar, this work is Out loud by André Pielage. The pillar is decorated with glistening festoons made from discarded laughing gas canisters found in public spaces. Left by people in pursuit of a quick thrill, the cannisters now are architectural ornaments used since classical antiquity. Note the simplicity of the pillar combined with baroque festoons.
The next work on the right is a sculpture called The Successor. Regret, disappointment, shame. It can all be read from that bent head, those inward turned shoulders and that rag doll as a last hold. Although Successor is a minimalist sculpture, it has enormous expressiveness. It is an archetype that is universally recognizable and that everyone can identify with. Everyone, except the creator Joep van Lieshout. He never suffers from shame and he thinks regret is a waste of time.
Continuing towards Frederikspark
The Frederikspark has had a recreational destination as a playing field since the Middle Ages. Duke Albrecht of Beieren donated it to the city in 1398 to "be a playing field for the Haarlem citizenry for eternity". The park was designed as a villa park by the landscape architects Zocher in the 19th century. The layout is characterized by villas around a central oval space, the heart of the spatial composition. |
Now the route has a slight detour. After passing the playground, go left and you will see on a pedestal a modern equestrian statue: Monument for the Delivery People by Hans van Bentem. The statue is a contemporary variant of the equestrian statue, often erected in honor of the King, Emperor or Admiral, this time a Monument for the hardworking deliveryman, a relatively new profession that has suddenly appeared everywhere and has started to determine our street scene; working hard for low pay. Since the pandemic we know that it is an essential profession; In other words, these are modern-day heroes!
Paviljoen Welgelegen, provincial palace.
During office hours the fencegate is open and you are allowed to enter the garden. If you find the gate closed, you can nevertheless see most of the garden. It is noteworthy how the glass construction of the new wing is integrated into the old building. In the garden, there are both modern and classical sculptures.
The sculptures in the garden include Samenwerking (Cooperation) by Frank Rosen, the Dakota monument by Theo Mulder and De Morgenrit by Eric Claus. Furthermore, there are three replicas of classical statues by Francesco Righetti representing Bacchus, god of wine and celebration with his friend Amphelos; Mercury, god of travel, messages, merchants and thieves; and Euterpe, muse of flute music and poetry.
The historic building from the 18th century was built for Amsterdam banker Henry Hope and is an excellent example of the neo-classicist style. Hope housed his large art collection here until he was forced to flee the invading French forces and move to England in 1794. During the French occupation, Napoleon Bonaparte's brother Louis became king of Holland and he chose this building as his residence. From 1930 the building is being used to house the provincial council. |
Back to the Dreef
When you return to De Dreef (either by leaving the garden through the front gate or following the path back) the next work to be found is Stapeling (the title can be loosely translated as stack or stacking) by Sjoerd Buisman. Log blocks made of steel are stacked in such a way that they barely remain balanced and keep up the large block on top. Buisman is inspired by nature and uses a lot of natural materials.
Still on De Dreef the next installation you encounter is GIANT CENTAUR GIRL by Marieke Bolhuis. The sculpture expresses urgency. The horse as a vulnerable flight animal, connecting herd animal, comrade of man, horsepower, abused in wars and for greedy goals. Time for recovery! The Pony, with humor and stubbornness, tough and forward, in the breach for nature.
On the other side of the path you will see the sculpture future sTREEts by Marianne Lammersen on the lawn. It symbolizes how we deal with the greenery in our living environment. It is partly constructed with stones removed from gardens. With this image, the provincial government invites visitors to think about greening their environment.
Paviljoenslaan and Florapark
If you take a left turn here, take a moment to view the front face of the building up close as it it determines the character of the park through which a large part of the rest of the route goes. In front of the impressive stairs is a bronze replica of the recreated Laocoön group by Francesco Righetti.
On the other side of the Dreef, it is worth the time to make another small detour to Florapark to take a look at the grand monument in honour of Frans Hals made by Henri Scholtz.
The Haarlemmerhoutpark was once part of a large forest and dune area between The Hague and Alkmaar. The original forest was owned by the Counts of Holland. It was used for hunting, cutting firewood and construction wood and for keeping pigs. In 1572/1573 Haarlem was besieged by the Spaniards who cut down almost all the trees to clear the line of fire and to fortify and warm their encampments. In the St Bavo church you can still see a cannonball in a wall, the result of the bombardment by the Spanish troops. |
Into the Kleine Hout park
Once back on de Dreef street, crossing the road intersection it will bring you to the Kleine Hout. On the corner here is SPREADING THE LOVE by Frank Straatman. The silhouette is a standing lion, the hind legs are folded over each other. The top shows a bodybuilder, with his hands he forms a heart; the title refers to this gesture. The figure seems very confident in himself, but also shows discomfort.
Take the path on the left side and continue into the park.
On the right side of the path a figure lying on its belly is observing a globe, this work is called In awe by Pieter W. Postma. Seeing the world from a distance can lead to a new take on things as many people have experienced when looking at pictures taken from space such as the famous Pale Blue Dot and Earthrise.
We continue on the path and stop in the middle of the lawn lined by old trees. Here you have a beautiful view of the facade of the Pavilion. If you look the other way, you can see the Hildebrand Monument in the distance. Before we continue walking, we see special architecture on the right: the Music Dome by Wiek Röling. Triangle glass panels from the roof.
De Kleine Hout has the character of a park. The open spaces and the monumental trees are the eye-catchers. The southern part is woody. Banker Henry Hope had the Haarlemmerhout reconstructed by landscape architect Johann G. Michael. You can still see that the view axis from the pavilion towards the Hildebrand-fountain suggests a deceptive depth. This effect arises because the trees along the line of sight, seen from the house, are increasingly closer to the axis. In the course of the 19th century, Johan D. Zocher and his son Jan D. Zocher also made a major contribution to the landscape style of the Haarlemmerhout. Until the Second World War, the Grote and Kleine Hout formed a single entity. The Fonteinlaan was untill then a walking path. |
Around de Hertenkamp (deer enclosure) towards the Hildebrand monument
The route continues along the fence of the deer enclosure and your senses are given a bit of a rest. Walking around the enclosure clockwise will lead you past a teahouse.
An installation Lumbertube Cum Suis of four pieces by Karin Dekker looms up in the Hertenkamp. The sculptures are largely made up of small pieces of steel that are welded together. They look transparent and fragile. Together they look like one complex industrial installation. The artist is fascinated by industrial environments such as refineries and power plants. The artist was inspired when she heard the noise of a wood chipper while walking in a forest.
We walk further along the petting zoo and the pond that was created after a tank ditch was dug during the Second World War. We walk on until we see a fountain on our left hand.
This fountain forms the centre of the Hildebrandmonument, designed by Jan Bronner. Characters from the book Camera obscura are gathered around the fountain, watched over by a statue of the writer Hildebrand (Nicolaas Beets) himself. Jan Bronner held that sculpting is architecture and architecture is sculpting. In these sculptures it is apparent that his work was influenced by the architects of the Amsterdam school movement in the 1930’s. the sculpture group has a long history. Bronner, professor at the State Academy of Fine Arts, was commissioned in 1914, but he was not finished until 1947. Due to arguments about the location, it took until 1962 before it was unveiled.
Crossing the Fonteinlaan to the Grote Hout
From here you can continue by walking towards the busy road which is called the Fonteinlaan; near the monument is a pedestrian crossing. While crossing the road you will pass through arcs formed by linden trees, this is a work by Sjoerd Buisman called Lindenbogen.
On the path on the other side of the road, first go left and then take the first path to the right. Following this path will lead you to the Coster monument. This is a mysterious monolith that appears to be standing in the middle of a forest due to the density of the trees and shrubs here. It looks like this is an empty pedestal waiting for a statue. It actually represents a stamp symbolizing the local legend that Laurens Janszoon Coster invented the printing press here after dropping a woodcut letter in the sand.
De Grote Hout has the character of a forest with many centuries-old trees and with alternating open and closed areas. The forest is invaluable for birds and bats. In the middle of the forest you will find the beech hall. The light is beautifully filtered between the towering trees.
The flowing path structure allows you to wander through the forest and the forest appears much larger than it actually is. In spring, plants make the forest bloom.
Now walk past the monument and turn right on the asphalt path. Soon you will reach a crossroads where you will see a stone bench on the left side. This bench was placed here more then hundred years ago to commemorate local composer Philip Loots. It is clearly visible that nature here is slowly undoing what was created so long ago.
At the crossing with the bench, turn right and take the first path to the left and then the second path to the right which will bring you to a clearing where Ziggurat by Gusta Kullberg looms ahead. Like with dense trees, slivers of light shine through depending on where you are looking from.
Back to the Dreef
If you continue to follow the path past the open space and keep left and then turn right on the paved road, you will pass the Dreefzicht building.
On the paved path that goes into the Grote Hout on the right You will see an artwork by Joost Swarte. The gate marks the entrance to the Hout. The work draws attention to the nature in the area and to the animal life underground.
Just continue to the left and you will return to Fonteinlaan. Here is another crossing point and we can return to the Deer Camp. We now go left in the direction where we started.
A little further you will find Fingers Crossed by Frank Koolen. This work shows two figures close to each other, two fingers on one hand making a sign that is made to ward of bad luck and emphasise that you are hoping for a good outcome.
