HOW IT STARTED
On the Valkenhorst estate, near the forest, you will find six beautiful apartments. They are located in a bird paradise surrounded by greenery in a more than a hundred year old barn.
This property, along with all other properties on the Valkenhorst estate, was owned by the Loudon family for a long time. They belong to the Dutch nobility. In addition, this originally Scottish family is known for their role in the development of the oil company Koninklijke Olie, or in other words: Shell.
In its youth, the barn was mainly used for grain storage. Later, cows, pigs and horses found shelter in the barn. However, the building has lost its original shape. A fire in 1939 burned down the front part completely, halving it in size.
THE STORY OF PIET
Piet has lived at Landgoed Valkenhorst since childhood. He was a gamekeeper in the Leenderheide and experienced the barn from start to finish. Read his stories here.
But this building not only survived a fire, it also survived the war. During the war, the English were billeted here. The large attics of the barn were all requisitioned. If cops knocked on your door, you couldn't refuse. You offered them a bed in the attic. It was therefore busy in Wijk D during Operation Market Garden. The neighborhood was full of tanks and military wagons, and families left their homes to make way for the English.
The scars of the war can still be found in the area. The trees are full of bullets and shrapnel. In fact, a specific tree has never been touched. The city council simply did not dare to see through it because of all the iron it contained. Memorabilia from the war was also found in the barn. During the renovation of this barn, a Mauser gun was discovered between the old planks. This rifle served as the standard weapon for the German troops in the Second World War. The gun is not randomly placed here. The story goes that the family across the street, whose father worked in this shed at the time, purposely hid the gun. It is not known where exactly the gun came from.
Sijmen kent Wijk D op zijn duimpje. Zijn ouders hebben hun hele leven in het pand tegenover Wijk D gewoond. Hij woont daar nu ook zelf met zijn vrouw. Zijn vader werkte vroeger in dit pand. Lees hier zijn verhaal.
DE WOORDEN VAN SIJMEN
That's not the only fascinating story that has circulated about the barn. A hidden room at the back of the barn probably once served as a hiding place. There was a space between the cooling compartment for the milk and the harness box for the horses. This area had no function and was not accessible. The loft was about eight feet by three and could only be entered from above by sliding some loose planks in the attic. What the space was intended for is still unknown.
This hundred-year-old barn has a rich history and means a lot to the residents of Wijk D. For them, it is the barn where the exciting stories of that time took place.