Mennonite heaven

From the beginning of the 17th century, classicist estates in the polder landscape or beside a river became popular among Holland's regents and merchants. The estates, units of house, garden, and farmland, could serve an economic purpose, as an investment, for hunting, or for higher status. An idyllic vision provided the necessary framework for this.

For generations, well into the 18th century, citizens and merchants would invest large sums in the enhancement of country estates. Domes overlooking the water, tree-lined paths, compact villas, and gardens richly adorned with newly discovered exotic plants and flowers offered foreign visitors a spectacle unmatched in Europe. Wealthy Mennonites settled along the Vecht between Breukelen and Nieuwersluis. Hence, the region was referred to as 'Mennonites' Heaven'. Mennonites were also named after the Anabaptist reformer Menno Simons.

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