Category: Healthcare & Wellbeing

Servaas van Leuven
Genees-, Heel- en Vroedmeester

Servaas van Leuven was van 1836 tot 1896 arts te Aalten. Hij werd geboren op 12 maart 1811 in Kampen, als zoon van Jan Adrianus van Leuven, kleermaker, en Johanna Maria Huijzer. Van Leuven overleed in 1898 op 87-jarige leeftijd.

Op 1 mei 1836 arriveerde Van Leuven in Aalten als opvolger van de kort daarvoor overleden chirurgijn Adolph Wechgelaar. Aanvankelijk vestigde hij zich op diens woonadres aan de Dijkstraat.

Op 18 mei 1838 trouwde hij in Aalten met Henriette Wilhelmina Christina Theodora Rost, dochter van de gepensioneerde kapitein Johann Christian Rost. In 1839 verhuisde het echtpaar naar de Peperstraat. Niet lang daarna vestigden zij zich definitief aan de Bredevoortsestraatweg. Tegenover hun woning, op de hoek met de Peperstraat, bevond zich de stalhouderij waar het paard en de koets van dokter Van Leuven stonden.

Het echtpaar kreeg maar liefst tien kinderen. Twee van hen overleden op zeer jonge leeftijd en werden begraven in de grafheuvel op ‘t Smees.

Werk als arts

Servaas van Leuven was een gewaardeerd en gerespecteerd arts die decennialang een belangrijke rol speelde in de plaatselijke gezondheidszorg.

Zestig jaar lang oefende hij met grote toewijding zijn vaak zware en afmattende werk uit. Vooral op verloskundig gebied muntte hij uit door ijver en plichtsbetrachting. Bij nacht en ontij, in winterse kou en storm, werd zijn hulp zelfs op hoge leeftijd nooit tevergeefs ingeroepen.

In een tijd waarin medische hulp in de Achterhoek schaars was, gold hij voor velen als een reddende engel. Hij voerde duizenden bevallingen uit en bood aan vele minderbedeelden belangeloze zorg en advies.

Laatste jaren en overlijden

Na ruim zestig jaar praktijk te hebben gevoerd, beëindigde Van Leuven in 1896 op 85-jarige leeftijd zijn werkzaamheden als arts.

Servaas van Leuven overleed op 24 november 1898 in Aalten en werd begraven op de Oude Begraafplaats aan de Varsseveldsestraatweg.

Links, het pand dat vroeger op de hoek Bredevoortsestraatweg–Peperstraat stond (waar tegenwoordig Pepper 8 zit). Dit was de stalhouderij waar dokter Servaas van Leuven eind 19e eeuw zijn paard en koets had staan.

Zutphensche Courant, 17 april 1886
Bronnen
3 August 2022

Gasthuis (Almshouse) Bredevoort

For centuries, the Gasthuis (also referred to as the Armenhuis or almshouse) served as a refuge for the poor, the sick, and the elderly in Bredevoort. From 1641 until approximately 1930, the institution occupied various locations within the city walls. The current Gasthuisstraat owes its name to this establishment.

The house of Misslich (Agnietenhuis)

The earliest known mention of an almshouse in Bredevoort dates to 1641. It occupied the old borgmanshuis (a fortified town house) and the orchard behind it, formerly belonging to Wolf Mislich, then Governor of the Lordship of Bredevoort. In 1639, Mislich drafted a will bequeathing his house and entire estate—valued at 15,000 guilders, a significant fortune at the time—to the poor relief of Bredevoort.

Following his death in 1639, the will was executed, giving rise to the local saying: “De armen van Bredevoort bunt rieke” (The poor of Bredevoort are rich).

The House of Misslich, also known as the Agnietenhuis, was presumably located in the vicinity of the later Ambthuis. Rental income from the property benefited the poor, and besides the Widow Mislich, two other families lived in the main house, while three smaller dwellings in the backyard were occupied by the needy.

‘t Walletje

Around 1800, records regarding the Mislich house become silent. An 1832 cadastral map shows the ‘Armen Gasthuis van Bredevoord’ located at ’t Walletje, in the extension of the Vismarkt (cadastral plots B126-B129). This complex consisted of four dwellings, ranging in size from 22 to 26 m².

Gasthuisstraat

The third and final almshouse was built in 1844 on the Gasthuisstraat and consisted of eight dwellings. The land was purchased from the Hof van Barnsveld, a former borgmanshuis.

On 14 August 1879, this building burned down completely, though it was subsequently repaired. In 1911, the almshouse underwent a thorough renovation, though it remained incomplete; the houses were eventually sold off and demolished one by one. In 1897, the Sint Bernardus building was purchased, where nursing care was provided around the turn of the century.

Residents

Population registers recorded each household on separate cards. Below is an overview of the inhabitants of the almshouse on the Gasthuisstraat over time:

Period 1838-1850

28	28	28	28	28	28
Maria Catharina Harmsen (Winterswijk, 26-01-1787)	Johanna Hendrika Lindeman (Bredevoort, 04-12-1786)	Andries Willemsen (Bredevoort, 14-08-1790)	Janna Geertruid Meinen (Bredevoort, 06-01-1789)	Jan Hendrik Duenk (Bredevoort, 17-10-1810)	Fredrik Boom (Bredevoort, 24-03-1797)

Period 1850-1860

28	28a	28b	28c	28d	28e	28f	28g
Janna Geertruid Meinen (Bredevoort, 06-01-1789)	Johanna Hendrika Lindeman (Bredevoort, 04-12-1786)	Hendrikus Kempink (Bredevoort, 16-09-1815)	Jan Hendrik Duenk (Bredevoort, 17-10-1810)	Fredrik Boom (Bredevoort, 24-03-1797)	Toni Blekking (Aalten, 15-07-1798)	Andries Willemsen (Bredevoort, 14-08-1790)	Gerrit Jan Sikking (Bredevoort, 14-10-1792)
				Hendrika Aleida Kalf (Aalten, 23-05-1822)		Jan Willemsen (Bredevoort, 28-02-1802)

Period 1860-1870

28	28a	28b	28c	28d	28e
Hendrikus Kempink (Bredevoort, 16-09-1815)	Jan Hendrik Duenk (Bredevoort, 17-10-1810)	Hendrika Aleida Kalf (Aalten, 23-05-1822)	Toni Blekking (Aalten, 15-07-1798)	Jan Willemsen (Bredevoort, 28-02-1802)	Gerrit Jan Sikking (Bredevoort, 14-10-1792)
				Grada Meinen (Aalten, 11-12-1797)

Period 1870-1880

30/1	30/2	30/3	30/4	30/5	30/6	30/7	30/8
Mina Helmig (Bredevoort, 05-07-1824)	Christina ten Pas (Winterswijk, 21-08-1812)	Hendrikus Kempink (Bredevoort, 16-09-1815)	Hendrika Aleida Kalf (Aalten, 23-05-1822)	Jan Hendrik Duenk (Bredevoort, 17-10-1810)	Janna Geertruid te Slaa (Winterswijk, 05-04-1802)	Jan Willemsen (Bredevoort, 28-02-1802)	Berendina Villekes (Bredevoort, 26-06-1800)
Johanna Ribbink (Winterswijk, 01-08-1810)		Theodora Berendina Grotenhuis (Henxel, 01-01-1829)	Berendina Hijink (Lichtenvoorde, 19-06-1834)		Derk Willem Bloemers (Woold, 10-02-1821)

Period 1880-1890

38/1	38/2	38/3	38/4	38/5	38/6	38/7	38/8
Johanna Ribbink (Winterswijk, 01-08-1810)	Berendina Hijink (Lichtenvoorde, 19-06-1834)	Theodora Berendina Grotenhuis (Henxel, 01-01-1829)	Christina ten Pas (Winterswijk, 21-08-1812)	Jan Hendrik Duenk (Bredevoort, 17-10-1810)	Derk Willem Bloemers (Woold, 10-02-1821)	Gerritjen Duenk (Lichtenvoorde, 28-01-1824)	Frans Julius Römer (Mittweida/D, 02-11-1815)
		Willemina Kwak (Wisch, 04-04-1829)	Berendina Villekes (Bredevoort, 26-06-1800)		Mina Helmig (Bredevoort, 05-07-1824)		Hendrika Harmina Schoppers (Dale, 09-11-1821)
		Geertruid Kobus (Winterswijk, 02-08-1842)	Jan Hendrik Grotenhuis (Henxel, 22-07-1832)				Gerritjen Dina Scholtz (Aalten, 31-12-1834)
			Janna Berendina Dreijers (Aalten, 25-05-1833)

Period 1890-1900

30/1	30/2	30/3	30/4	30/5	30/6	30/7	30/8
Johanna Ribbink (Winterswijk, 01-08-1810)	Berendina Hijink (Lichtenvoorde, 19-06-1834)	Geertruid Kobus (Winterswijk, 02-08-1842)	Janna Berendina Dreijers (Aalten, 25-05-1833)	Jan Hendrik Duenk (Bredevoort, 17-10-1810)	Mina Helmig (Bredevoort, 05-07-1824)	Gerritjen Duenk (Lichtenvoorde, 28-01-1824)	Gerritjen Dina Scholtz (Aalten, 31-12-1834)
Janna Geertruid te Wieske (Winterswijk, 11-11-1840)	Gerrit Hendrik Mengerink (Neede, 07-01-1851)	Harmen Jan Piek (Aalten, 09-03-1826)		Maria Hendrika Slats (Aalten, 03-05-1823)	Geertruid Kobus (Winterswijk, 02-08-1842)	Gerrit Hendrik Piek (Vragender, 24-08-1834)
Gerrit Hendrik Piek (Vragender, 24-08-1834)
Janna Berendina Dreijers (Aalten, 25-05-1833)

Period 1900-1910

27	27/3	27/4	27/5	27/6	27/7
Janna Berendina Dreijers (Aalten, 25-05-1833)	Harmen Jan Piek (Aalten, 09-03-1826)	Maria Hendrika Slats (Aalten, 03-05-1823)	Geertruid Kobus (Winterswijk, 02-08-1842)	Gerrit Hendrik Piek (Vragender, 24-08-1834)	Gerritjen Dina Scholtz (Aalten, 31-12-1834)
Tonia Gesiena Oonk (Miste, 05-09-1869)
Jan Derk Wilterdink (Miste, 02-11-1860)

Period 1910-1920

					28/5		28/7
					Geertruid Kobus (Winterswijk, 02-08-1842)		Gerritjen Dina Scholtz (Aalten, 31-12-1834)

Owners

Overview is incomplete.

Year	Plot	Owner	Description
1832	B-76	Anthony Lurvink, merchant	690 m² house, sched & garden
1847	B-258	the Reformed Diaconate of Bredevoort	199 m² almshouse & garden

Sources

H.A. Hauer, ‘Breevoort can ick vergeten niet’, 1956
Delpher
ECAL
HisGIS
Land Registry
Old Judicial Archive of Bredevoort
WieWasWie (WhoWasWho)

15 April 2022

Beukenhof
Hofstraat 12, Aalten
Photo: G. Schreurs (2024)

This director’s villa was built in 1893–1894 by textile manufacturer Herman Driessen, concurrently with the former steam weaving mill situated next door. In later years, the stately villa served as a foster home for Estinea for a long time. Behind the house once lay what was likely the first tennis court in Aalten.

The villa is constructed in a Neo-Renaissance style and features 10 bedrooms across the first and second floors. It is a national monument and retains many monumental details, including a very fine staircase with original Art Nouveau-patterned tiles and various original stained-glass windows. This characteristic property is currently in private hands and is undergoing restoration.

In 2015, Jalf Flach wrote to Oud Aalten:

“I recently rediscovered a text I wrote 25 years ago following an interview with Mrs Bella Driessen. In 1893, the Hofstraat was still called ‘Het Blik’, and in that year, a steam weaving mill and a house were erected there, which would be occupied by members of the Driessen family for the next 75 years. It was not until 1953 that the house was named ‘Beukenhof’ by one of its residents. But by then, the house already had an eventful history behind it.

Bella Driessen lived in the house from her early childhood until 1969, when the factory closed and the house changed hands. That is a period of over 60 years. In those days, the Beukenhof was a true patrician residence, as is evident from the interior photograph she kindly lent me. In later years, she occupied the small house that had been built onto the main building, which, much to her sorrow, was demolished in 1976 when the house was converted into a foster home. That brought an end to what was colloquially and irreverently referred to as ‘Bella’s pimple’.

Mrs Driessen’s stories about the war years were fascinating. There were a couple of magnificent stained-glass windows in the stairwell. One depicted the weir on the Smees, and the other, the cathedral of Malmédy, from where her mother originated. After a German soldier had first shot through them because of a breach of blackout regulations, they were completely destroyed during a bombing raid on Aalten. For the remainder of the war, planks were nailed over them, and the residents, billeted German soldiers, and evacuees had to find their way in the dark.

After the war, simpler stained-glass windows were installed, which still adorn the staircase in an Art Nouveau style today and, together with the beautiful tiles and wrought-iron bannisters, give the building a unique character.”

Owners

Overview is incomplete.

Year Plot Owner Description
m²

Residents

Population register 1890-1900

Aalten 20

Herman Anton Frans Carel Maria Driessen (Aalten, 22-09-1831), manufacturer
Anna Maria Theodora Mühren (Neuenkirchen/D, 14-10-1840)

Population register 1900-1910

Aalten 23 > C584

Herman Anton Frans Carel Maria Driessen (Aalten, 22-09-1831), manufacturer
Anna Maria Theodora Mühren (Neuenkirchen/D, 14-10-1840)

Population register 1910-1920

Aalten C584 > D691

Josephus Walter Julius Driessen (Aalten, 07-01-1870), manufacturer
Maria Anna Elisa Josepha Beckmann (Malmédy, 12-05-1872)

Address directory 1934

D691 > Hofstraat 12

J.W.J. Driessen

Address directory 1967

Hofstraat 12

Mevr. I.M.E.B.G. Driessen-Smeets
Features

Cadastral no. I-12941
Function House
Year of construction 1893
Listed National monument

Sources

Address directory Aalten (1934 & 1967)

Delpher

ECAL

HisGIS

Cadastral map

WieWasWie (WhoWasWho)

J. Flach

Staircase (photo provided by Jalf Flach)

Dining room (photo provided by Jalf Flach)

1920. The Driessen family playing a game of tennis on what was likely the first tennis court in Aalten, behind the Beukenhof. (photo from “De Slinge(r)bal. 1946-1996. 50 years of Altec tennis club”)
26 August 2021

Year	Plot	Owner	Description
			m²

St Bernardus

‘t Zand 23, formerly ‘t Zand 15, Bredevoort

St Bernardus House is a distinctive building on ’t Zand, the central square of Bredevoort. The building has a rich history, having served as a residence, a sanatorium, and a nursing home.

The building was originally commissioned by Jan Satink, a lieutenant colonel in the States Army, Regiment of Nationals. It was erected on the site where the outer bailey of Bredevoort Castle once stood. In 1800, the house passed into the possession of the Roelvink family through inheritance. Arnoldus Florentinus Roelvink, a scion of this family, served as the mayor of Bredevoort from 1813.

In 1897, the building was purchased by Father Bernardus Mulders. The priest was a man of means and acquired the former steward’s house with his own funds. His goal, he wrote, was to offer “his poor children” a Catholic education. Because Catholic schools were costly at the time, he devised a clever solution: he brought nuns to Bredevoort, who established a convent and a sanatorium in the steward’s house. Nuns were an economical option as they received no salary, having dedicated their lives to God.

Under the management of the Franciscan Sisters of Thuine, the ‘R.K. Sanatorium St. Bernardus Gesticht’ (Roman Catholic St. Bernardus Sanatorium Institute) was established. He named the convent-sanatorium after his own patron saint, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. With the profits from the sanatorium, the priest started a primary school: the Sint Joannesschool.

The sanatorium was intended for wealthy patients, as the nursing costs were high, ranging from f 1.50 to f 2.20 per day. Medical expenses and pharmacy costs were charged at 10 guilders per month. Second-class patients paid f 7.50.

From 1907, people came to Bredevoort from all over the country to recover in the sanatorium. They often stayed for months. During the day, they would lie in bed in an open-air pavilion (lighal), even in winter, completely wrapped up. In the garden of Sint Bernardus—now the Vestingpark (Fortress Park)—there were at least ten of these pavilions, with their open sides facing the sun. Two of these have been preserved and are now designated as national monuments (rijksmonumenten).

The sanatorium remained in use until 1933. Afterwards, the building was repurposed as a nursing home for the elderly. In 1938, the Sisters of Thuine were succeeded by the Sisters of St. Joseph from Amersfoort. The last sisters left Bredevoort in 1985.

In 1988, a large-scale renovation and expansion of the building was carried out by the Stichting Verzorgingstehuis St. Bernardus (St. Bernardus Nursing Home Foundation). The nursing home eventually moved to the newly rebuilt Ambthuis in 2008.

Since 2020, the building has had a new destination: it is used as the boutique hotel & brasserie De Heerlyckheid.

Owners

Overview is incomplete.

Year	Plot	Owner	Description
1832	B-209 B-208	Arnoldus Florentinus Roelvink, mayor of Aalten and Bredevoort in Bredevoort	550 m² house & garden 220 m² house & garden
1877	B-397 B-380	Bernard Andries Roelvink, clerk at the cantonal court	235 m² house & garden 552 m² house & garden
1887	B-588 B-589	Leonard Roelvink, mayor	240 m² house & yard 280 m² coach house, kitchen, stables & yard
1898	B-588 B-589	Hermann Schepers, schoemaker	240 m² house & yard 280 m² coach house, kitchen, stables & yard
1901	B-734	R.C. church of Bredevoort	21.023 m² house, sheds, yard & garden
1909	B-792	R.C. church of Bredevoort	13.373 m² house, hospital, shed & garden
1952	B-979	R.C. church of Bredevoort	13.538 m² house, stables, hospital & garden
1988	B-1265	St. Verzorgingshuis Sint Bernardus	2.760 m² “BWT”

Features

Cadastral no.	B-1963
Function	Residential property, Sanatorium, Retirement home, Hospitality
Year of construction	1764
Monument	Municipal monument

Sources

Residents