Photo: Dudok Architectuur Centrum
When to Lady A.G. Willink the land was sold in 1879, the De Groot brothers encumbered part of it with a servitue. On this basis, the site was not allowed to be occupied, paneled or built on higher than 1.25 metres. The servitude assured local residents an unobstructed view, but may have been inspired in part by aesthetic motives. By keeping the piece of land open, the concept of grouping villas around a public area remained intact.
In 1912 the later owner, H.E. Kleijn van Willigen, also living on Boomberglaan, the land on the municipality. The municipality found it a pity that the servitut was not allowed to create a park with trees along the roads, but only a lawn with flower beds. In 1913 the land was nevertheless accepted because of its favorable location in the heart of the municipality.
Various options were considered, until park supervisor K. Rysdorp proposed to turn it into a rose garden. In 1914, at the insistence of council members, the expert advice of the well-known landscape gardener D.F. Tersteeg in Naarden. He thought the construction of a rose grove was an excellent idea. Tersteeg suggested only a few improvements. To prevent passers-by from using the paths, Tersteeg suggested opening the Rosarium on one side only. The location would then become a quiet and intimate park that, with its beautiful roses, would invite you to spend a pleasant time.
Tersteeg marked out benches on three sides with the foliage of a hedge as a background. Incidentally, Tersteeg simplified Rysdorp’s plan by proposing changes in the height differences and the proportions between the sections and the tires. The use of height differences and sunken lawns are characteristics of Tersteeg’s designs, which also appeared in his designs for other villa gardens.
From 1916, the Rosarium was open to the public throughout the day. In 1949 a resistance monument was erected, designed by sculptor V.P.S. Esser. The male figure cast in bronze stands on a granite pedestal. The height difference disappeared by filling the sunken central lawn with the central rose section. Given the height of the monument, the old servitude has been abandoned, which after all stipulated that a maximum of 1.25 meters could be built.
Source: Annette Koenders, Hilversum. Architectuur en Stedenbouw 1850-1940, Zwolle (2001).
Bergweg 11. Hilversum