Address: Oude Arnhemseweg 33 Zeist
Owners, renovations and functions
Owner Church and poor forest: Roman Catholic Church Rijsenburg
- 1911 | Mrs. Maria (Mary) de Geer-van Marwijk Kooy with her husband as her authorized representative buys for 18,008 guilders and 25 cents a nearly 6 hectare pine forest that was located on the Oud-Arnhemsche Bovenweg
- 1911 | construction of a country house in Gothic style (castle-like villa), coach house and orangery. The coach house with boxes for 4 horses also served as a garage for 2 cars, hayloft, coachman's house (40 m2) and a gardener's house (58 m2)
- 1917 | Municipality of Zeist buys 63 hectares from Roman Catholic Church Rijsenburg
- 1927 | Mrs. Maria (Mary) de Geer-van Marwijk Kooy buys 3 hectares of pine forest from Mr. A.M de Beaufort
- 1930 | Mrs. Maria (Mary) de Geer-van Marwijk Kooy buys 77 hectares of pine forest called Hoog Kanje from the heirs of De Beaufort
- 1927 | North facade is changed
- 1937 | the Renaissance gate (the current main entrance) was added to the east facade
- 1941 | son and painter jhr. Louis de Geer (Zeist 1911 - Wassenaar 2009) (fifteenth generation) together with his wife Maria (Mea) Elisabeth Anna van der Tak (Amsterdam 1910 - Zeist 2001) the villa ’t Kerckebosch
- 1943 | Sale of the country estate 't Kerckebosch including the forest to Willem Duijff, architect in Utrecht and Gerard Priem, construction contractor in De Bilt
- 1943-1945 | the boarding school of the Christian Lyceum on the Krakelingenweg was moved to 't Kerckebosch due to the occupation by the Germans
- 1947 | Priem sells to his sister-in-law E.W. Priem-de Kort, wife of his brother Gijsbertus
- 1947 | rent of 't Kerckebosch for ten years by Amsterdam catering entrepreneur Louis (Lou) Weilers (1893-1983) He had the villa, which at the time looked like a ruin, rebuilt into a luxurious hotel with eighteen guest rooms. Kitchens and cellars were added, bathrooms installed and an oil heating system installed. However, the interior was kept entirely in the original style
- 1947 | During the reconstruction period, building materials were scarce and were allocated by the Ministry of Public Works and Reconstruction. Reconstruction gave permission for renovations up to an amount of ƒ 15,000, but Weilers spent no less than ƒ 70,000 on renovations and furnishing. The ministry had granted a building permit based on the need for hotel space and housing for repatriates and not for a luxury hotel.
- 1948 | opening of hotel-café-restaurant ’t Kerckebosch
Newspaper article Trouw 2 April 1948
‘The interior, in which wood from old church pews has been incorporated, is as precious as it is pompous. A highly modern bar has also been built there. Nothing remains of the former boarding school that was housed in this house. Dining room, conversation room, terrace, valuable furnishings… the guests can come when “’t Kerckebosch” is ready in its new glory. […] We leave this black renovation through a heavy oak door, which still bears the handshake of Lodewijk Napoleon.’ The two stone crusaders next to the cloakroom were not even mentioned.
- 1949 | the villa ’t Kerckebosch with the surrounding grounds of 14 ha were offered for sale to the municipality of Zeist. The municipal authorities did not accept that offer.
- 1950 | rumours circulated that ’t Kerckebosch would be sold to a Catholic institution
- 1952 | His business empire ‘De Bock’ began to crumble due to his failed policy and the exploitation of ’t Kerckebosch was the first to be stopped. By the man who had rented it for 10 years
- 1952 | about a new management Exploiters Gijsbertus Priem and Visser ” ‘t Kerckebosch
” The new director was soon confronted with a violation by the previous director. Weilers had bought and sold spirits under his own name on a leased permit, but according to the Alcohol Act this should have been done in the name of the permit holder. The consequence of this violation was that the Alcohol Act permit was revoked and no alcoholic beverages were allowed to be served. The many guests of the hotel, including participants in a Unesco conference, were ‘drained’. In mid-December 1952, ’t Kerckebosch advertised that it had a general permit. If no new permit had been granted, the hotel would have had to close its doors.
- 1957 | takeover of the associated riding school by the Equestrian Sports Association Riding School ’t Kerckebosch
- 1957 | new operator W.H. Visser - owner of hotel-restaurant De Nieuwe Karsseboom in Zaandam - the new operator. He managed to maintain the good name of ’t Kerckebosch, perhaps even to strengthen it. The operation remained in the hands of the Visser family until the mid-1970s.
- 1958 celebration of the fact that 't Kerckebosch had been operated as a hotel for ten years
- 1967 | the operation of the hotel was continued by his widow Mrs. G.W.M. Visser-Janssen with the support of her two sons and three daughters
- 1970 | The municipal authorities of Zeist granted Gijsbertus Priem a building permit for the construction of an eight-storey apartment hotel with 120 apartments. The new building was planned for the location where the riding school used to be.
- 1970-1975 | the orangery was demolished and the facade was transferred to Oude Arnhemseweg 16 (My Home Interieurs) and rebuilt there
- 1972 | construction of a luxury apartment building by Bouw- en Beleggingsmaatschappij J. Lisman B.V. in Zeist, owner of ’t Kerckebosch. Lisman B.V. realised the new building
- 1973 | the rooms on the first and second floors were renovated and converted according to a design by interior designer Corrie Ruys from Zeist. This left twelve modern rooms. Visser: ‘In addition to these modernisations, the building also needed a lot of restoration. Parts of the wall were renewed with the original monastery bricks, balustrades were updated and renewed, lead and zinc work was renewed. And then the extensive painting work. First above the hotel rooms and corridors, the high ceiling of the hall with its golden stars and decoration at the top and now gradually descending to the bottom, where all the rooms are also in dire need of new painting.’ - new wing in which sixteen new hotel rooms and three meeting rooms were housed, and the construction of a new bistro no longer experienced as director
- 1973 | the youngest son became director of the company
- 1974 | extension in adapted style located on the north side, now a total of 30 rooms
- 1975 | the municipality of Zeist decides, at the request of Lisman B.V., to withdraw the building permit condition for the demolition of the former coach house, granted in 1970. This preserved a piece of the country estate's history from the time of the couple De Geer-van Marwijk Kooy - 1976 | new name "Hotel Kasteel ’t Kerckebosch"
- 1976 | the management of 'Hotel 't Kerckebosch B.V.' was transferred to the Doorwerth Group (Doorwerth Management Projects) with new director R. Kuilman
- 1977 | Kastelenij B.V. was listed as tenant; also in 1995
- 1979 | the Doorwerth Group and D.M.P. International Hotels continued under the name Bilderberg Group, a Dutch hotel chain
- 1995 | Spaans is director of the N.V. 't Kerckebosch Beleggingsmaatschappij N.V., owner of the building Arnhemse Bovenweg 31
- 1995 | In 't Kerckebosch B.V., Exploitatie Maatschappij van Hotels. of which A.H. Spaans director, was in charge of management in 1979
- - …………………Lisman & Lisman sold the hotel and others to real estate management office De Elf Provinciën - 1996 | the municipality of Zeist granted a permit for expansion of the hotel - 2005 | large-scale renovation
- 2005 | 't Kerckebosch was also designated as a permanent wedding location
- 2014 | Hotel chain Bilderberggroep left Zeist because 't Kerckebosch no longer fitted in with Bilderberg’s strategy
- 2015 | Hotel Exploitatie 't Kerckebosch B.V with directors Ingmar Sloothaak, Marco de Haas (OpenYourHotel Management B.V.) and Hans van Triest with Cynthia Schell (Hans van Triest Holding B.V.). Again, a renovation was necessary. - 2018 | opening of a new conservatory Bistoria
Special guests and events
- 1950 | Mrs. Singer of the well-known American sewing machine company said about her stay in the hotel in 1‘I have found many beautiful things in the Netherlands, but I have never seen such a pleasant hotel before.’
- 1949 | Weilers was able to welcome Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard to his hotel when they attended the annual party of the Royal Dutch Hunting Association.
- 1953 | Prince Bernhard was his guest again on 27 March 1953. He was then at a dinner after the ceremony at the Soesterberg air base, where the air force had received the predicate ‘Royal’ and the prince had been appointed Inspector General of the Royal Air Force.
- To entertain his guests, Weilers had well-known musicians perform; such as the orchestra of Malando (pseudonym of Arie Maasland (1908-1980).
- 1948 and following years | The ambiance of the hotel made the famous Dutch fashion designer Tonny Waagemans (1913-1992) decide to show her new collections there in 1948 and following years. Other fashion designers also held their fashion shows there. 't Kerckebosch was a 'place to be'.
- The Zeister Zilverindustrie often used the facilities of the hotel restaurant café Kasteel 't 't Kerckebosch. From 1968, 1972, 1979 and 1980 a number of invitations for receptions and photos from that time. Parties and celebrations were also regularly held there by the Zeister Zilverindustrie.