Aerdt House
B02
Herwen
1652

Aerdt House

Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House

Aerdt House in Herwen dates from 1652 and was built on the foundations of a medieval castle. It was once the home of Godefridus van Hugenpoth, who was closely involved in the construction of the Bijland Canal a canal which led to the stabilisation of water management around Herwen as well as in the west of the country.

Aerdt House
Aerdt House in Herwen was built in 1652, on the foundations of the medieval castle Ter Cluse which was destroyed by the Spanish during the Eighty Years’ War. Godefridus van Hugenpoth lived here from 1743-1819. He also owned a lot of land and held the ‘wind rights’ to Herwen. This meant that he was the only person allowed to build a windmill and catch the wind. Local residents were obliged to use his mill to mill their grain. This type of windmill was known as a dwangmolen, from the word dwang, meaning obligation. However, Van Hugenpoth’s influence reached far beyond his native village.

Saviour of the West
At the end of the 18th century, Van Hugenpoth was the Inspector-General of the upper rivers and dikes of the Bijlandse Waard floodplain. In this role, he was responsible for the construction of the Bijland Canal (1773-1777). As a large-scale landowner, Van Hugenpoth also had a personal interest in the building of the canal. Herwen was close to a sharp bend in the Oude Waal river and his land was often flooded in winter – a canal between Tolkamer and Millingen could prevent the dikes giving way. The canal led to the stabilisation of water management in the west of the country. For this reason, Van Hugenpoth is known as the ‘Saviour of the West’. He stood at the cradle of the modern Department of Waterways and Public Works (Rijkswaterstaat).

One guilder
After World War II, Aerdt House was threatened with demolition. There was no money to restore the damage that had been done during the war. In 1961, the house was sold for one guilder to the Friends of Gelderland’s Castles Foundation (Stichting Vrienden der Geldersche Kasteelen). The foundation restored the building to its former glory. Today Aerdt House is also a popular wedding venue for couples who want to spend the best day of their lives in this romantic location. The area between the Bijland Canal and the old bend in the Waal is now a water sports zone.

Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House
Aerdt House

Huis Aerdt

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Aerdt House
Molenhoek 2
6914KM Herwen

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