In 1816, Hermen Steijgerwalt, a man of independent means, bought the Langewater estate. A few years later, he sold part of it off and, in the remaining part, he dug out a natural spring which fed a stream and several ponds. He then built a house there and called his estate Bronbeek. In 1842, Carel Johan Verkouteren had the first house rebuilt into a neoclassical villa and he made the park even more beautiful. In 1854, King William III bought the estate and had the villa converted into a palace. However, the king was to spend very little time there.
Care Home for the Disabled
In 1859, King William III donated the estate to the State of the Netherlands on condition that a ‘care home for the disabled’ from the colonial army would be established there. And that is exactly what happened. The bust of the founder can be seen on the facade of the main building. Part of this building was turned into a museum devoted to Dutch colonial expansion. The residents of the home were tasked with growing some of their own food and maintaining the estate. This gave them a worthwhile way of spending their time and it helped to reduce the exploitation costs. Agricultural production ended in 1959.
Memorial
During the Atjeh War, many wounded and sick veterans stayed at Bronbeek. In 1915, they were given their own pavilion, which has since been converted into an Indonesian restaurant and congress centre known as ‘Kumpulan’. There are statues and memorials in the park, which denote the Dutch colonial past in present-day Indonesia. Since the opening in 1863, more than 6,000 men have lived at Bronbeek. It currently houses 50 elderly Dutch veterans (m/f) from various areas of conflict abroad. Despite all the changes, the spacious layout of the original estate has been retained.
