History up to 1823 The official history of Landfort begins in 1434 when this noble estate is first mentioned in a document
History up to 1823
The official history of Landfort begins in 1434 when this noble estate is first mentioned in a document. In that year, Johan van Assewyn handed the country house over to Diederick van Bronckhorst. It was then called Lanckvoort, which is why we now think that there was a ford in the Oude IJssel river here. For centuries, this lovely domain has been situated on the Dutch-German border. It is remarkable that concern about money forms a constant element in the history of Landfort. Up until the nineteenth century, bankruptcy and lack of funds were often the reason for the property to change owners. It is also remarkable that, despite being situated on the Dutch-German border, Landfort only suffered serious war damage during the last days of the Second World War. During the previous centuries there was only neglect by owners who lacked financial resources. Some could not pay off their debts, while others ran into problems as they could not sell Landfort or could not accept it as inheritance due to poverty. Yet others would repeatedly take out loans on the property in order to keep their heads above water. When the country house is put up for auction in the near city of Emmerik in Germany in 1610, it comprises over sixteen hectares or eighteen morgen of land. At the time Landfort was called a ‘havezate.’ This term meant that the ownership was in the hands of a nobleman. At that time there were canals, an orchard, fishing waters and a hunting ground. Despite the fact that much of the nobility in the east of the Netherlands were major landowners, they are not well represented in the history of the inhabitants of Landfort. The country house has been frequently owned by the affluent middle class or merchants, which even included people from Amsterdam.
Construction/Design
Landfort looked different in the past compared to the present. In former times it looked more like the current Biljoen castle in Velp, which consisted of a square building with four corner towers, each crowned by a helmet-shaped roof. Around the house there was a canal with a bridge that led to the entrance door. The house had a cellar, two floors and an attic. Each side of the house contained windows with shutters and all this is presumed to date back to the early seventeenth century. It is also possible that some elements from a previous house have been used as well. This was the shape of the house until 1823-25. In those years, everything was renewed and the house obtained its current, elongated form, in which the central part, called the Corps de Logis, was effectively assimilated into the new building. Today one can still see the old sixteenth-century wooden roof structure in the attic of Landfort. The old and shallow cellar under the building also still remains, of which the middle areas are the oldest.
Johann Alberg Luyken at Landfort
From 1810 the Luyken family acquired the Schloss Sonsfeld-Wittenhorst castle, located near the German town Rees, of which Johann Albert inherited the manorial rights. The origins of the Luyken family are Dutch-German. It is claimed that the well-known Dutch graphic artist Jan Luyken (Spiegel van het Menselyck Bedrijf – “The Book of Trades”) shares their ancestry, but this has never been fully proven. After a troublesome continued existence of several centuries, Landfort came into the possession of Johann Albert Luyken (1785-1867) and the country house underwent a complete revitalisation. Luyken’s purchase was made possible by a financial gift from his 21-year older sister Stiencke Christina Waltmann-Luyken. Her husband was a banker, which made her very wealthy. After his death, the rich (childless) widow wanted to live closer to her German family, many of which lived in the vicinity of Landfort. The only condition for the money donation was that she could also live at Landfort and that any revenues would go to her.
Purchase of Landfort
Johann Franz baron von Motzfelt, who lived at Hardenberg castle, made the highest bid on Landfort on 27 June 1823, yet with the definitive auction fees Johann Albert Luyken became the owner of the property, who offered 20.798.05 guilders. During the auction sale in Hotel Van Dielen in Gendringen he distracted the attention from himself by dressing as a simple farmer. This diverted the attention of the attendants as they assumed that none of the farmers could afford Landfort. After he made his bid, the notary present concernedly asked whether the bidder possessed enough deposits, to which Johann Albert would have replied no, while he pulled out a large bundle of banknotes with which he made the purchase in cash. Landfort was in poor condition due to the various different owners, and it had also lost its characteristic corner towers in previous renovations. After it was decided to renovate and expand the country house, the German architect and contractor Johann Theodor Übbing was called upon. He carried out much work for Fürst zu Salm-Salm at the nearby Wasserburg Anholt estate.
Johann Albert was intensively involved with the renovation and expansion of Landfort. This meant, among other things, that the necessary areas for the extension of the house were furnished for Johann Albert’s botanical hobbies. Furthermore, the house was extended considerably with two slightly fanning-out wings. The presence of an indoor orangery is unique in the Netherlands. In no Dutch country house has such an indoor winter residence for (sub-) tropical plants been realised. Übbing also designated an area as a plant nursery, which is likely to have been realised as well. Also very remarkable was the hot-air heating system in the left part of the house, including the orangery. This functioned using an oven or a stove in the basement. Finally, it is also remarkable that the house does not have a so-called upstairs/downstairs layout. The kitchen and other facilities are located on the same first floor as where the Luyken family received their guests, where the library was located, and where they dined or smoked a cigar. At both ends of the wings there are still stairs, one of which continues to the attic. This way, the resident staff could reach their rooms in the attic without being noticed.
https://www.erfgoedlandfort.nl/en/history/
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- A vegetable garden with fish pond
- The surrounding park
info@erfgoedlandfort.nl
- In a state of reconstruction
- Visible partly