Overview
Aalten’s indoor Zonneheuvel swimming pool, opened in 1972, was where generations of local residents earned their swimming certificates. It was named after the stately villa that had stood here until 1968. After closing in the early 1990s, the building was given a second life as offices. It was demolished in 2026.
When Adriaan Johannes Willem Monnik (1879–1951) retired as mayor in 1945, he stipulated that the land surrounding his villa should be made available to the people of Aalten. In 1952, a health centre with a bathhouse was built on the corner of Wilhelminastraat and Julianastraat.
The villa was demolished in 1968. A nursing home was initially planned for the site, but the provincial authorities refused permission because nursing homes already existed in Varsseveld and Winterswijk.
In 1969, plans were therefore developed for an indoor swimming pool on the site. Zonneheuvel opened in 1972, with Kor Kremer as its first swimming instructor. Over the following decades, many Aalten residents earned their swimming certificates here.
Advertising agency and demolition
Around 1994, when the new indoor ‘t Walfort swimming pool opened, Zonneheuvel closed. Bert Nijman of the neighbouring Frappant advertising agency saw potential in the building and bought it in 1996. With the help of Groenlo architect Herman van der Heijden, it was converted into offices.
Many original swimming-pool features were retained: the tiling, clothes lockers and even the large pool became part of the office interior, with a suspended floor partly spanning the former main pool.
Nijman handed over the management in 2006 and retired. At the end of 2024, Frappant moved to a new sustainable building on Vierde Broekdijk.
The neighbours bought the former swimming pool and had it demolished in early 2026.
Owners
This overview is incomplete.
| Year | Plot | Owner | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | I-5493 | Adriaan Johannes Willem Monnik, mayor |
5,600 m² house, barn & garden |
| 1934 | I-6478 | Adriaan Johannes Willem Monnik, mayor |
6,150 m² house, barn & garden |
| 1957 | I-8087 | Stichting “Protestants-Christelijk Verpleeghuis Aalten” | 3,413 m² house, garden |
| 1972 | I-8087 | Municipality of Aalten | 3,413 m² |
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