Dale/Haart
The ‘t Walfort Estate lies between Aalten and Bredevoort. Historically, it was part of the ‘t Walfort Manor (Havezathe) and comprises woodlands, hedgerows, and wooded banks. The boundaries of the estate were marked by so-called hunting posts (jachtpalen). Today, 13 of these posts are still visible; one of them stands on the former driveway to the manor and is therefore not on the boundary of the hunting grounds. It is presumed that more posts originally surrounded ‘t Walfort.
According to the re-enacted Hunting Act of 1814, hunting grounds had to be demarcated with posts bearing the text “private hunt of” (private jagt van) followed by the owner’s name. These hunting posts marked the extent of his hunting territory.
A description by the Gelders Genootschap mentions that the hunting posts were placed around 1837/1838 by the then owner, Baron Jan van Pallandt van Walfort (1776–1844). He lived in Arnhem on the Klarenbeek estate and also purchased Angerenstein and Rennenenk in Arnhem. He was also a member of the Provincial Executive (Gedeputeerde Staten) of Gelderland.
The hunting posts are made of red sandstone, presumably sourced from quarries in the vicinity of the Weser or the Main rivers. Their total length is 2.5 to 3 metres. The posts are rectangular (approx. 25 x 20 cm) with chamfered corners. The top is a four-sided pyramid. In terms of finish, they are gefrijnd: horizontally ribbed. On one side, there is a rectangular, smoothly finished field containing the text: “Havezate Walvoort of Walfort Privative Jacht”. Several of the remaining posts are either damaged or have been shortened.
The hunting posts have been designated as a municipal monument by the municipality of Aalten.2
All hunting posts in a row
The numbers of the photographs correspond with the numbers on the map above.
