Birkhoven Estate

Birkhoven is a park-like forest and former estate west of Amersfoort. It is a beloved recreation area for the inhabitants of Amersfoort. The Amersfoort Zoo is located in the Birkhoven forest.

During the Middle Ages, most of the land here was owned by the Mariënhof monastery. The Monnikenbos to the west of Birkhoven still serves as a reminder of this. Little is known about the initial establishment of the estate. By the end of the 18th century, it was in the possession of the mayoral family Methorst.

In 1824, Jan Cock Blomhoff settled on the estate and had a country house built along the Soesterstraatweg. He was the last chief of the Dutch trading post in Japan on the peninsula of Decima, which led to the property being colloquially referred to as "Japanese bushes." Over time, the estate was significantly expanded and eventually included a large agricultural area to the north of the road, reaching as far as the Eem.

In 1907, the municipality of Amersfoort became the owner of the estate. The house Birkhoven was converted into a hotel-restaurant. A road was constructed through the forests. The area to the east of this road was called Bokkeduinen. A large racetrack and an open-air theater were established. In the 1930s, a forest pond, a viewpoint, a pinetum, and a forest swimming pool were created, now the Bosbad Amersfoort in the northeast corner. In 1948, the Amersfoort Zoo was established in the southeast corner of Birkhoven.

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