Fortified Park

Since 2016, the Vestingpark in Bredevoort has been the name for a monumental 19th-century garden, originally belonging to the Sint Bernardus located in the province of Gelderland, the Netherlands.

Bernard Andreas Roelvink, a steward of Stadtholder William V, had the Sint Bernardus expanded in 1764 into the mansion of today. In 1782 the Bastion Vreesniet was given on lease to Bernard Andries Roelvink. These fortifications were dismantled in the 19th century for the construction of the gardens that are still there. A small part of the lower wall has been preserved, on which the monumental tea dome of the Roelvink family is built. Just like the garden, the tea dome is now under the care of Bredevoorts Belang. In 1897 Hermann Schepers bought the house and sold it to pastor Bernardus Mulders, who wanted to found a hospital. The Bishop of Osnabrück had authorized the Franciscan Sisters of Thuine to take on this task. This is how the R.K. Sanatorium St. Bernardus Asylum for TB patients was born, which would continue to exist until 1933. From that year on, the building was used as a retirement home. In 1838 the sisters of Thuine were succeeded by the sisters of St. Joseph from Amersfoort. Near the tea dome there is a Lourdes grotto In the garden there are also some lounges for TB patients, which are classified as a national monument. The Lourdes grotto and the lying halls recall the park's monastic past.

Wikipedia