Golden Tulip Tjaarda Oranjewoud's history

Oranjewoud near Heerenveen attracted day trippers as early as around 1700. 'De Tent' was built around 1740, especially for these people. Owner Simon Lantinga, who was also a well-known ventriloquist, made 'De Tent' famous for the delicious bass served there. In the 19th century more lodging houses appeared in Oranjewoud.

In 1834, hotel 'Heidewoud' was founded by lodging house owner and gardener Johan Meijer. The Tjaarda family has been in control since 1877. After all these years, there is just a single hotel left in Oranjewoud: Golden Tulip Tjaarda Oranjewoud.

Playground and vantage point Oranjewoud
Willem Tjaarda built the first playground opposite the hotel in 1891 and his son Andreas (1882-1981) also meant a lot for visitors to Oranjewoud. The choice of location proved very fortuitous thanks to the crossroads of beautiful lanes opposite the hotel.

From 1903 onwards, a new playground was built including slides, an early version of a cakewalk, a chain bridge across the water and merry go-rounds at the Tjaarda lodging house. Andreas Tjaarda travelled the world from Athens to Cairo. He returned full of ideas. For example, in 1917, a short distance from the hotel, he had a wooden vantage point or 'belvédère' built in Tjaarda's woods. The tower was replaced in 1924 due to dilapidation by a 20 metre concrete one on a 10 metre high earthen hillock. There was also a 'cave' near the 'belvédère' to amuse day trippers.

Another unique idea was the construction of a complicated maze of 8,000 beech trees with a house of mirrors in the middle. Many Frisians made their way to the lodging house and the attractions. They could be photographed there which made a good memento. There were also a lot of postcards of the shady lanes and the local sights available. Tjaarda was, for that day and age, good at public relations. From 1908 onwards, he published maps which had the sights and walking routes marked on them. Hotel Tjaarda had a separate building with a large hall for parties and dances. Concerts and themed evenings were organised there.

Four star Golden Tulip Tjaarda Oranjewoud
Mr O.J. Schreur succeeded Andreas Tjaarda in 1957 as the manager and later became the owner. This era is still known for the massive parties where the motto was: 'anything goes'. After Schreur came Mr Oosting. In part, hotel Tjaarda has this expert host to thank for its reputation. New packages and concepts were developed and new facilities were built.

Supervised by his daughter Marjan Oosting, the old hotel was demolished in 1995 and replaced by the complex as it stands today with its two long wings. The hotel has also been part of the Golden Tulip chain since that time. The luxury hotel with its impressive lobby and staircase is often used as a backdrop for photo shoots.

Tjitte H.B. de Wolff has been the director of hotel Tjaarda since 1998. Wellness & Spa Tjaarda Oranjewoud was built according to his instructions. The rooms, restaurant and the Grand Café were expanded and the first hotel rooms were given a facelift.

Oranjewoud and its history
Oranjewoud's name originates from that of the Princess of Orange (Oranje in Dutch), Albertine Agnes (1634-1696), daughter of the famous Stadtholder from Holland Frederik Hendrik. She married the Frisian Stadtholder Willem Frederik and lived at his court in Leeuwarden. When she became a widow, she desired a country estate as was fashionable at the time. Albertine Agnes found a suitable spot in Oranjewoud, which was then known as 't Wold. She purchased an existing stately home and a number of farms. She then had long lanes, moats and gardens created. This laid the foundations for a princely estate.

Major construction in Oranjewoud
After Albertine Agnes' death, her daughter-in-law Henriëtte Amalia van Anhalt-Dessau inherited the property after her husband's death. This ambitious lady wished to modernise Oranjewoud. The famous (landscape) architect Daniël Marot was commissioned to initiate major construction as he had done at Palace Het Loo. Marot designed two wings for Oranjewoud, but the central building was never built. The stadtholder's family spent their summers in the west wing, while their courtiers were housed in the east wing.

The landscape architect drew up a plan for the gardens arranged along a 3.5 kilometre long axis between the village De Knipe in the north and the de Tjonger river in the south. The most northern part consisted of a water feature, a Grand Canal, across which Museum Belvédère has now been built. The second part of the expansion was called 'de hof' [the court] and featured garden sections with orange trees.

Opposite this lay the Overtuin which was also substantiated in a Baroque style. Various generations of the Oranje-Nassau [royal] family spent their summer at Oranjewoud in 1791. During the French occupation, both wings were demolished (in 1803 and 1805) and the property was sold. Two estates were built where the stadtholder's country house had once stood: Oranjewoud at the site of the old castle and Oranjestein where the home of the rentmeester [steward] had once been. Later on, another country house was built in Oranjewoud, Klein Jagtlust. These estates were inhabited by the nobility and prominent families. The country homes all had beautiful gardens laid out, according to 19th-century fashion, in the Romantic landscape style.

Source: Drs. Rita Mulder-Radetzky