Medieval estate

The garden around the town hall of Hillegom is a former medieval estate on the inner dune edge and the stream, Hillegommer Beek. The character of the courtyard garden, Hoftuin, has become blurred over the years. The original English landscape garden is barely recognisable. The main objectives for the redesign of the Hoftuin are: strengthening the historical and landscape character; improvement of the connections to the immediate surroundings; and softening and greening of the garden.

Historical restoration

OKRA’s proposal recreates the allure of the English landscape garden once again in the Hoftuin, re-establishing vistas to the town hall and the path structure reflects this.  The original path network from 1903 is restored as much as possible. The green area is extended towards the street, Hoofdstraat, where parking disappears. Some elements elaborate the garden. The lawns are enriched with flower borders and at the Hillegommer Beek a dock is provided for canoes. Also, the dock is a sunny place to stay on the water.

Future-proof Garden

The interventions not only bring a restoration of historical values. The park will have more meaning for the locals of Hillegom and stable for future use. Meadows can facilitate markets and events which ensures that in the future flexible park use remains possible. The renewal of the Hoftuin is part of the central vision for Hillegom, a plan to make the centre more attractive and vital.