The St. Hubertus Hunting Lodge is one of the most outstanding buildings designed by architect H.P. Berlage. In 1914, the immensely wealthy couple Anton and Helene Kröller-Müller commissioned Berlage to design them a summer residence with all the latest modern conveniences. The hunting lodge was a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ (collective masterpiece) which incorporated designs made exclusively for this country house: the park, the building, the interior, the furniture and even the dinner service.
The largest privately-owned country estate in the Netherlands
Anton Kröller and Helene Müller came from wealthy families of traders and industrialists. Over the course of many years, the couple bought significant tracts of land in the Veluwe region which they joined together to form the De Hoge Veluwe National Park by far the largest, privately-owned country estate in the whole of the Netherlands. The couple commissioned the famous architect H.P. Berlage to build them a hunting lodge in the middle of the estate. Berlage was given free rein for his designs, and inspired by the story of the patron saint of hunters, Saint Hubertus, designed a hunting lodge with two wings in the shape of a deer´s antlers, and a tower in the middle representing the cross.
Kröller-Müller
Whilst Anton was out hunting for game, and money, Helene dedicated herself to contemporary art and modern architecture. She acquired an extraordinary art collection and became heavily involved with the design of the hunting lodge. No expense was spared in building the lodge and the house had its own generator for electricity, hot and cold running water, its own spring, central heating, a central vacuum cleaning system, and a lift: all the very latest gadgets of the time.
Hunting lodge with and unusual interior
The most eye-catching aspect is the 30-metre-high watchtower that overlooks the entire estate. The building’s unusually clean lines and the use of ‘honest’ materials like brick, natural stone and iron is also a special feature. In the interior, the use of different coloured, specially-glazed bricks creates different atmospheres throughout. Every detail was designed exclusively for the hunting lodge, right down to the door handles and the tea service. After the Kröller-Müllers died, the national park and the St. Hubertus Hunting Lodge were opened to the public.