Architecture of The Garden City

When we walk through the oldest part of the district, the following aspects stand out. The modest houses are grouped together in groups and the roads are curved, so that the monotonous image of a straight street with terraced houses is avoided in any case. The houses have a small front garden, which was expected to be well maintained. There are some wider streets, but a lot of informal traffic was along footpaths between the houses. The adjacent gardens at the rear of the houses were relatively large. After all, the government wanted the residents to grow their own vegetables or keep small pets and that there was a certain social control. This aspect has disappeared today due to the construction of sheds and garages and the installation of hedges or walls on the separation between the properties.

Here and there there are squares. The largest is the Chrysanthemum Square. There you will also see quite beautiful houses. When the district was built, these were located on a single side of the square. We will have to wait a few decades before it is completely enclosed by new social housing on the other side.

The style of the houses had to exude a certain traditional rusticity. Only a few houses bear witness to any rudimentary influence of the Art Deco style.

A limited sewerage system was provided. Water, on the other hand, still had to be fetched from a communal tap in the street. The toilet took up a corner of the living room, but could only be reached from the outside. It stood above a cesspool that was not connected to a sewer system. Presumably, gas and electricity were available early on. A bathroom was not an issue at all.

The roads were made of earth. At some houses we can still see the original foot scrapers to wipe the mud off his shoes. Footpaths would not be built until a few decades later.

Jan Rymenams