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| the castle around 2019, picture courtesy of Serflac, from his video, starts at 5:10 |
Gregorius Halman (1948) lives in the countryside near the small community of Blesdijke, southern Friesland, Netherlands. As an annex to his house, he has built a castle ¹.
Life and works
Around 1990 Halman got the idea to make such a building. It took him two years to convince the local authorities that he formally should be permitted to realise his idea.
A wonderful idea it was. Halman, now retired, was the owner of company in the city of Zwolle, that lends theater costumes, and he has no education in architecture or constructing at all.
But he had that dream......making some nice creative construction in roman style, with round and fluent forms, quite different from nowadays functionalist shoe-boxes. Often, at lunch time, he went to the public library to study books about Roman architecture.
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the site around 2009 |
The concept of the building is in principle: a square with on the four corners circular towers. There is an underground basement, with cellars, and in 2010 the construction above ground was advanced to the second floor.
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this picture and the next one (2019) also courtesy of Serflac |
In interviews Halman explains that his activity has nothing to do with an obsession, he just has a lot of pleasure in creating a building with beautiful forms in a Roman style.
As his material he used old bricks from demolished houses and roads. He didn't care about architectural, historical or military compatibility of the castle. His castle isn't a copy of an existing one, but a product of imagination.
Meanwhile the building has reached its maximum height and one can say the castle as such is ready, but Halman is still working on its further completion, adding various decorative elements, both to the exterior and the interior.
Currently the site is used for specific festivities, such as a Christmas Market, wedding parties, and so on
A dragon on top
In October 2022 on top of the castle a 3.5 m large stainless steel sculpture, depicting a dragon, was placed. The sculpture, made from old kitchen tools by Albert Weijs, was a gift from Halman to himself because of his 75th birthday in 2023. A video below gives an impression of the installation.
The castle already had a Phoenix on the roof.
Documentation
first published June 2010, last updated March 2024
Gregorius Halman
Olt Stoutenburght
Blesdijke, Netherlands
visits only on appointment
* Article (2012) on SPACES website
* Article (2020) by Jetske van Beek, on her website (with a beautiful series of photos)
* Article (2020) by Jetske van Beek, on her website (with a beautiful series of photos)
Videos
* YouTube had a 3.25' video (2007) made by Martin Vlaanderen, which is not available on the internet anymore. In this video Halman explained the ideas behind what he is doing. OEE-texts has a transcript in English of this conversation.
* A video by Jan Menger (16'45", YouTube, uploaded April 2011) shows a variety of details of the construction, both of the interior and the exterior
* YouTube had a 3.25' video (2007) made by Martin Vlaanderen, which is not available on the internet anymore. In this video Halman explained the ideas behind what he is doing. OEE-texts has a transcript in English of this conversation.
* A video by Jan Menger (16'45", YouTube, uploaded April 2011) shows a variety of details of the construction, both of the interior and the exterior
* A video (October 2022, YouTube, 4'40") has recent scenes of the castle and reports about the installation of the dragon
note
¹ The name of the castle is "Olt Stoutenburght".
Olt means old, stout in former days Dutch is brave, in nowadays Dutch it is naughty and burght means
citadel.
In the Middle Ages a -currently almost disappeared- castle named Toutenburg existed in the area around Vollenhove, some 30 km south-west of Blesdijke.
In the Middle Ages a -currently almost disappeared- castle named Toutenburg existed in the area around Vollenhove, some 30 km south-west of Blesdijke.
first published June 2010, last updated March 2024
Gregorius Halman
Olt Stoutenburght
Blesdijke, Netherlands
visits only on appointment
Thank you very much for drawing my attention to all of these fantastic places!
ReplyDeleteHi Shayna, I am glad you like the blog. These wonderful places deserve to be known better, and that's what I am aiming at. All the best.
ReplyDeleteFor god sake!! a castle of his own. that is what call to make the difference. Some people conforms with writing a few lines, making some strokes on canvas, but this goes beyond. I really laughed when i read about "shoebox architecture" i embrace the idea, but let´s the fans of modern architecture not to hear us or they will burn us in a bonfire. Roman architecture, wondering if it refers to that lovely architecture that preceded the Gothic style, with its simple yet wonderful shapes and masterpieces in mason work by anonymus masters, in the time when artists were considered nothing but simple handcrafters.
ReplyDeleteNice that you had a look to the Netherlands, i am sure it would have lots of extraordinary places like that, specially when far from the regular touristic schedules.
Regards dear friend.
@Alberto Oliver
ReplyDeleteSure, roman style exactly refers to what you are describing as the architecure that preceded the Gothic style. I remember to have visited in the Bourgogne area in France some small churches, being wonderful examples of roman style. Mr Halman's construct is hardly known about in the Netherlands, probably he himself is the last one to care about this...
All the best.
Great to have a dream and to be able to turn it into reality.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to build a castle, with plenty of secret passageways and underground caverns and tunnels, lots of wall space for putting up photos or other art... not sure my budget will ever allow me to accomplish that dream, but in meanwhile, will continue making photos, such as they are.
Just completed a post in your honor about the church in Wirwignes... and thanks again for providing the inspiration to go visit some of these places !