2024-10-25 10:11:00
A narrow cobblestone path winds through the kilometer-long city garden. On either side there are small walls of stacked pavement and ground tiles, clinkers and bricks. Behind it a tangle of plants, trees and shrubs.
This is the world-famous garden experiment, which art teacher and self-proclaimed ecotect – a combination of ecologist and architect – and visual artist Louis Le Roy (1924-2012) created in the late 1960s in the Heerenveen-Midden residential area.
It is not an ordinary garden. It is a forest ecosystem where nature has free rein. That does not mean that there is no human intervention. “We planted those two honey trees last year,” points out Peter Wouda (57), while walking through the 1 kilometer long green oasis. He is a former board member of the Time Foundation (2001), which wants to preserve Le Roy’s ideas and garden. As ‘master builder’ he is the first point of contact for the green belt. “Those trees can grow old here. We even allow Japanese knotweed here. No, it does not proliferate, because there is a great diversity of plants here and this creates a natural balance.”
Excess green
Local residents occasionally give their excess greenery a place there. “Those may well be rose bushes,” says Wouda. “They don’t necessarily have to be native plants. Every year we also plant fruit trees here. People sometimes lay down branches. We leave fallen trees behind. Hedgehogs can hide there. Volunteers pick up litter twice a month.”
Every now and then a larger structure appears among the many shades of green. Of stones carefully stacked on top of each other. Without cement. Memorial stones of demolished buildings were also given a place there. “All kinds of insects, spiders, plants and other animals find a place in those thin grooves. Stone also retains heat, so you get a different microclimate. Do you feel that it is cooler here than outside on the street?”
Louis Le Roy was born a hundred years ago. On his birthday, October 31, there will be a symposium about his life and work, after which the exhibition will be held in Museum Heerenveen. A hundred years is nothing, dedicated to Le Roy, opens. A biography of the idiosyncratic landscape architect will be published next year.
Le Roy was way ahead of his time, Wouda believes. “Nature, in all its complexity, must be allowed to develop freely and undisturbed over time. Also in the city. “Time, give me time,” Le Roy often said. His nature projects had to be able to grow endlessly. Human order had to be limited. He spoke of a symbiotic city, where nature and culture come together. He wanted to involve residents in the design of public green spaces.”
A view that was in line with the rise of the environmental movement, according to art critic Huub Mous, who was friends with Le Roy. “Le Roy was not an activist, but a doer. A visionary and world improver. He had an alternative to taking action: as a human being, to build together with nature.”
This is also called ‘eco-cathedral thinking’. Just as cathedrals used to be built by several generations, man also had to build a natural system.
Surprisingly topical, according to architect Rob Hendriks, also a friend of Le Roy and committed member of Stichting Tijd. “In Le Roy’s book Turn on nature, turn off nature he writes about how humans are exhausting the earth. That monocultures are disastrous for biodiversity and that humans should help nature further. We now see his ideas reflected in the new wildernesses that are emerging, such as the Oostvaardersplassen.”
Lots of resonance
Le Roy’s philosophy found great resonance in the 1960s and 1970s. In those years, the city garden in Heerenveen attracted garden enthusiasts and students from all over Europe. A Le Roy garden also emerged in the Groningen district of Lewenborg, just like in Cergy-Pontoise, Oberhausen and Wittenberg. An ecological city park is being designed according to his ideas in Harlingen and there are plans for it on the Nyma site in Nijmegen. In 1989, Le Roy was appointed professor honoris causa at the University of Braunschweig.
Despite his international recognition, you can also see Le Roy as a somewhat unsung talent, says Hendriks. “He was a kind of aggrieved artist who often withdrew. In nine out of ten cases, municipalities sent him away. They didn’t give him the time. There were also complaints from local residents who wanted to see immediate results. They thought that there would be a nice park in front of their door, but for the first few years they were faced with piles of stones and a mountain of sand.”
Things also did not turn out as Le Roy had in mind in the wild garden in Heerenveen. “I wanted to develop a strip of greenery in the garden with them (residents, ed.) endlessly. But from the start it didn’t go the way I wanted,” he once reflected. However, the municipality called in the parks department for the construction. Le Roy soon withdrew in anger. At the end of the nineties, the green oasis was neglected. Hiking trails were overgrown and virtually impassable.
That changed in 2005, when an agreement was concluded between the municipality of Heerenveen and the Tijd foundation. It stated that the green oasis would continue to exist for at least a hundred years. Money also became available for maintenance and refurbishment.
The municipality of Groningen also guaranteed a hundred-year existence in 2012 for the 6-hectare city garden that Le Roy had created in the new Lewenborg district in the early 1970s. He was given free rein to design it in 1973 for ten years.
Hendriks: “Residents even built a windmill and a narrow-gauge railway there. After ten years, a green oasis had emerged. In 1983 he hoped that the municipality would give him an additional ten years, but then councilor Ypke Gietema (PvdA) wanted to get rid of him. Mainly because of the high maintenance costs in the beginning. Le Roy claimed that these would decrease every year due to the efforts of residents. And by the fact that nature would ‘arrange’ a lot itself.” Just like in Heerenveen, a Le Roy garden foundation was established, which now further shapes and maintains the city park.
Labyrinthine objects
In Mildam Le Roy could do his thing. There he started his own eco-cathedral in 1965. The artist had purchased 3 hectares of land, where over the years hundreds of trucks full of stones and construction waste material were dumped. Le Roy stacked thousands of stones, clinkers and sewer pipes by hand into meter-high towers, walls and other labyrinthine objects. A wealth of native plants and mosses grew up around it, attracting rare butterflies and various bird species.
In the future, Wouda hopes they will also meet on a former lawn in Heerenveen-Midden. The eco garden is being expanded there for the first time since it was constructed in 1966. “Over the years, parts of it have been cut off by doubling an adjacent motorway, but now we are fortunately getting something extra,” says the enthusiastic architect.
“There are all kinds of building materials here that we are going to work with. See those curbs? Yes, it starts with chaos, but everything is organized and given a place. You see how nature is already reacting,” Wouda points to black torches that have shot up. “We have also sown pigeon weed here, which attracts a lot of insects. Nature takes over here. Humans will intervene minimally. Completely in line with Le Roy’s philosophy: building endlessly in time and with free energy without a plan in advance. A place of eternal value.”
Also read:
Dutch gardens often consist of stone: ‘A green garden is demonstrably healthier’
There are still quite a few tiles in Dutch gardens, despite promotions such as the Dutch ‘Tegelwippen’ championship. This is evident from the first large sample from the Steenbreek Foundation.
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Interview with Peter Wouda
Editor: Thank you for joining us today, Peter. As a former board member of the Time Foundation and someone closely involved with Louis Le Roy’s garden experiment in Heerenveen, can you share a bit about how you became involved with this unique project?
Peter Wouda: Thank you for having me! My journey with Le Roy’s work started when I recognized the importance of preserving his ideas about allowing nature to thrive in urban spaces. I aimed to maintain the integrity of his ecological vision as a ‘master builder’ for the garden, which embodies his philosophy of letting nature develop freely.
Editor: Louis Le Roy famously described his approach as “eco-cathedral thinking.” How does this concept influence the way the garden is maintained today?
Peter Wouda: Yes, Le Roy believed in creating a natural system that evolves over generations, similar to how cathedrals were built. This means minimizing human intervention and fostering a diverse ecosystem where different plant species can coexist. For instance, we welcome contributions from local residents in terms of excess greenery, which enriches the biodiversity and helps maintain the natural balance Le Roy envisioned.
Editor: The garden, although meticulously planned, encountered some challenges during its development. What were some of those obstacles, and how were they addressed?
Peter Wouda: Initially, there was some resistance from local residents who expected immediate results. Le Roy’s philosophy required patience, which not everyone understood. Over time, as the garden matured and the ecological benefits became evident, we established a partnership with the municipality to ensure its long-term maintenance. This has made a significant difference in the garden’s preservation since 2005.
Editor: With Le Roy’s centennial approaching, there’s a symposium and exhibition planned. What do you hope attendees will take away from these events?
Peter Wouda: I hope attendees will recognize the relevance of Le Roy’s principles today. His emphasis on collaboration with nature and community involvement is especially crucial in light of ongoing environmental challenges. His work serves as a reminder that we can create harmonious spaces where urban and natural environments coexist.
Editor: Lastly, how do you envision the future of the garden and its impact on the local community?
Peter Wouda: I see the garden evolving into a vibrant ecological hub, fostering environmental education and community engagement. It’s essential for people to connect with nature, and I believe this garden can inspire future generations to advocate for sustainable practices in urban planning. By allowing nature to play a significant role in our lives, we can achieve a more balanced and healthier environment.
Editor: Thank you, Peter, for your insights and dedication to preserving Louis Le Roy’s legacy. We look forward to seeing how the garden continues to evolve!
Endees will gain a deeper appreciation of Louis Le Roy’s vision and the importance of integrating nature into urban environments. His ideas about ecological sustainability and the concept of an “eco-cathedral” are as relevant today as they were when he first proposed them. I want people to understand that nurturing biodiversity and allowing nature to develop on its own is not just an ideal but a necessity for a healthier planet and community. Additionally, I hope they will feel inspired to engage in their local green spaces and contribute positively to their environments, fostering a sense of stewardship that aligns with Le Roy’s legacy.
