Park Meerwijk: A Hidden Gem of the Amsterdamse School in Bergen
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In the charming village of Bergen, Noord-Holland, there are many beautiful houses that catch your eye. But as you wander through the streets, some homes stand out even more: wavy thatched roofs, rounded corners, unusual shapes or iron decorations. These are the Amsterdamse School villas of Park Meerwijk, an extraordinary architectural project developed a century ago. I stumbled upon it by chance and was left speechless.
I was already familiar with the Amsterdamse School (Amsterdam School), a distinctive architectural and design movement that emerged in the Netherlands around 1910–1930, particularly in Amsterdam. It is part of the international Expressionist movement and is known for its dramatic, sculptural style, rich ornamentation, and use of brick. Still, I didn’t expect to find such a beautiful example of it in Bergen.
The park, sometimes referred to as “a manifesto of the Amsterdam School”, was created between 1917 and 1918, on the initiative of Amsterdam tile dealer Arnold Heystee. He commissioned five architects (Jan Fredrik Staal, Cornelis Jouke Blaauw, Margaret Kropholler, Piet Kramer and Guillaume la Croix) to build it, and gave them creative freedom, with the sole condition to use tiles from his company for the interiors (great marketing, right?).
Seventeen villas were built, though not all have survived to this day. They are absolutely stunning, in my opinion. Park Meerwijk has the status of protected village view and the villas, along with three bridges that connect them, are considered national monuments. I recently found one of the villas for sale on a real estate website, and got a glimpse of its interior through the photos. If I had a few million euros, I’d buy it immediately. But since I don’t, I only get to admire these buildings from the outside, whenever I’m in the area.
What do you think? Would you like to live here?
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