Notable Buildings
In 2009, Voorschoten had 67 municipal monuments and 54 national monuments. Below you will find information about several magnificent historic buildings in the municipality of Voorschoten.
The Silver Factory
Until well into the 20th century, the village was well known for its silver industry. The silver factory of Van Kempen en Begeer was built in 1858 in an eclectic-classicist style. The iron driveway gate is Art Nouveau. The building remained in operation as a silver factory until 1984. Following a thorough renovation based on a design by American architects Robert Stern and Graham Wyatt, the Mexx company was established here, although it moved to Amsterdam in 2008. Only the imposing, very wide facade is still authentic; a modern building is concealed behind it.
The Village Church
The Village Church has had a number of predecessors, the first dating from the 12th century. In 1868, the current church—the fourth on this site—was completed in English Neo-Gothic style. The church was restored between 1955 and 1958, a process partially reversed during the interior restoration in 2000 (making the ceiling and supporting structure visible again, and windows fully visible). The Village Church houses an organ originally built by Jacobus Zeemans from Breda. Taken into use in 1720, this instrument has since been modified and restored several times. In addition to church services, the Village Church hosts cultural events (concerts, theatre, cabaret, literary evenings).
Duivenvoorde Castle
On the south side of Voorschoten lies Duivenvoorde Castle, which has been in private hands since 1226 and has continuously changed ownership through inheritance. The last owner, Ludolphine Henriette Baroness Schimmelpenninck van der Oye, placed the estate, the house, and the interior furnishings into a foundation. Aside from the formerly inhabited section, the castle is accessible as a museum.
Ter Wadding
Ter Wadding, located at Leidseweg 557, is a country house dating in its current form from around 1770, featuring rococo architectural influences. A 'huizinge' (house, 1687) or 'hofstede' (farmstead, 1716) was already mentioned there previously. The house was built on a site that was referred to as 'ter wadding'—meaning a fordable place—as early as 866. It is possible that people could cross the Oude Rijn at this point from the beach ridge upon which Voorschoten was built. The Provincial Water Management used Ter Wadding as an office.
Bijdorp
Bijdorp became an estate in 1634. Previously, a farmstead stood in the same location, which in the sixteenth century was owned by knight Jacob Oem van Wijngaarden. In 1875, the estate became the property of the congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine of Siena, female followers of Saint Dominic. They converted the country estate into a convent and, in 1895, added a small neo-Gothic cruciform church to the complex. The sisters provided education—the Roman Catholic Our Lady of Lourdes Institute—and young ladies from respectable backgrounds stayed in the boarding house to receive a refined and religious upbringing.
Saint Lawrence Church
Just north of the village center stands St. Laurentius Church, a Neo-Gothic pseudo-basilica designed by architect Th. Asseler (1823–1879) and built between 1865 and 1868, featuring a tower 45 metre s high. St. Laurentius Church has been a National Historic Monument since 1976.
Crafts and Bailiff House
The Bailiff House is the 17th-century residence of the bailiff (later of the mayor), featuring straight cornices and natural stone bands between the brickwork. It forms a single unit (with a shared entrance) alongside the Crafts House, the building of the craft guild, which features a stepped gable from 1635. This property on Voorstraat is used as a restaurant, museum, and wedding venue.
Berbice
Berbice is a country estate with a manor house dating from 1669, later expanded with features such as an orangery and distinctive garden walls. Building garden walls was popular in the 18th century for cultivating fruit crops that were otherwise unsuited to the Dutch climate.
Allemansgeest
In 1369, the Almansgeest farmhouse stood in the same location; around 1750, this name changed to Allemansgeest. In 1829, the country house was renamed Berbice, after the Dutch colony of Berbice in present-day Guyana.
Beresteyn
Beresteyn is a country house on the southwestern part of Berbice that was sold in 1828 to Jonkheer Hugo van Beresteyn. In 1893, Beresteyn was sold and became the 'Wullings Institute', a prestigious boys' boarding school with a secondary modern school (HBS) curriculum. The house was then given a new facade and expanded. During the Second World War, the institute was closed. After the war, Beresteyn became a seminary and monastery for the Capuchin fathers, and in 1954 it was transferred to the Montfortian fathers. Following their departure in May 2001, the house provided accommodation for various foundations, artists, and foreign workers.
Municipal office
In 1925, the town hall—which included a school, a gymnasium, and a caretaker’s residence—was designed by The Hague architect W. Verschoor to surround an inner courtyard. Verschoor built many large apartment complexes, such as Huize Boszicht on Benoordenhoutseweg in The Hague. The wood paneling in the lobby of Boszicht and the Council Chamber in Voorschoten are virtually identical. The gymnasium has since been demolished and replaced by an extension of the “ town hall.”
