Country house solution Oud-Amelisweerd: “Stadsherstel takes over the exploitation”

It looks like a solution for the Oud-Amelisweerd cottage has been found. Stadsherstel Utrecht will organize the management, maintenance and exploitation of the monumental building for the next ten years. The palace houses various exhibits on art, science and history. “That’s great news for everyone who cares about this unique country house,” says Alderman Ilko Ehrenberg.

Landhuis Oud-Amelisweerd has been a hot topic for a long time. It was formerly home to the Oud-Amelisweerd Museum, but went bankrupt in the summer of 2018. After that, the Huis Dorn Museum moved, but that didn’t last long. The monumental building has been vacant since the fall of 2020.

It turned out to be quite difficult to successfully run the country house. This is mainly due to the limited number of visitors that can be accepted, due to the enormous high value of the building and especially the weakness of the special Chinese wallpaper.

Research

Recently, a historical construction investigation has been carried out and a so-called construction vision has been put in place. This gives Stadsherstel Utrecht handles to exploit the building, without affecting its monumental value.

Stadsherstel Utrecht is, according to the municipality, “a professional and expert social real estate organization”. Stadsherstel Utrecht has more than 40 mega commercial buildings and around 240 homes in the city, including Zeven Steegjes, Boerderij De Balije, Molenerf De Ster, Doelenhuis and Gasthuis Leeuwenbergh.

“I am very happy that an expert team like Stadsherstel wants to take care of this monument without losing sight of the monumental character and the valuable elements that the country house possesses,” said a city councilor.

Volunteers

Finally, the municipality says it greatly appreciates the efforts of the volunteers and managers at the palace. “In the last period they devoted themselves to the country house with great commitment and passion. As a coordinator of various initiatives, they kept the country house going. This is a great achievement in these difficult times.”

So the municipality is asking Stadsherstel Utrecht to see how volunteers and managers can be deployed in the future to materialize the country house. “Stadsherstel is positive about this and looks forward to the discussions.”