Holiday apartment in Aerdenhout – villa architecture, country houses and Naaldenveld

If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Aerdenhout and planning a trip between striking architecture and rugged landscapes, the area offers many different points of interest. Aerdenhout reveals its character, among other places, in Aerdenhoutspark, Aerdenhout’s oldest villa district, which was laid out from 1899 onwards. There is also the Adventskerk, which was built in 1957/58 to a design by the architect K. L. Sijmons. Its design is strongly inspired by the work of Le Corbusier and uses raw materials such as concrete and untreated wood.

Holiday apartment in Aerdenhout: discover the architecture

Villa Looyen was built between 1948 and 1950 to a design by the architect ir. B. Bijvoet. Glass blocks were used in its construction; the design was inspired by Le Corbusier’s villas. Villa Looyen is considered an important example of early post-war reconstruction architecture from 1940 onwards. The garden with terrace surrounding the villa was also laid out by the landscape architect Mien Ruys. De Koekoek is an early 17th-century hunting lodge on the Koekoeksduin estate in Aerdenhout and is also known as Brouwershuisje. The name Brouwershuisje refers to the same hunting lodge and not to another building. De Olifant is a low 18th-century residence with a straight cornice. The chronology therefore spans the early post-war reconstruction architecture from 1940 onwards at Villa Looyen, through the building years 1948 to 1950, to the Adventskerk of 1957/58.

Country houses and historic townscapes

De Kroft was built in 1917/18 by the architect J.P. Smits as a home and workplace for himself and his family. The house was designed in the style of late 19th-century English country-house architecture, particularly following the work of R.N. Shaw and Sir E.L. Lutyens. De Kroft is located on the eastern edge of the Oosterduin villa park, where the beach-ridge landscape transitions into the beach-plain landscape. Boekenrode adds another historic accent: the impressive country house has a wooden doorway and a beautiful tea house dating from the late 18th century.

Naaldenveld is a rugged inland dune in Aerdenhout and is managed by Landschap Noord-Holland. North of Aerdenhout lies Buitenplaats Elswout, with three signposted walking routes. If you have to wait at Heemstede-Aerdenhout railway station, there is a StationsHuiskamer where travellers can wait with passenger facilities available.

Those interested in architecture will find different periods, materials and stylistic references between Aerdenhoutspark, the Adventskerk, Villa Looyen, De Kroft, De Koekoek, De Olifant and Boekenrode. Those who wish to focus more on the landscape should turn their attention to Naaldenveld and the three signposted walking routes at Buitenplaats Elswout.

Other places

More destinations to consider: Overveen, Bloemendaal, Vogelenzang.

For the higher-level travel overview: Bloemendaal.