Discover the Hoge Berg

Traditional farmhouses are prominent features of the Hoge Berg landscape. They are all built in the same pyramid shape design. The buildings consist of a high barn with pointed roof and often include a low extension, known as the long house. For centuries, Texel farmers kept a maximum of ten dairy cows, some young stock and a flock of sheep. The barn was used for the livestock and the hay, whilst the family lived in the long house. Traditional farmhouses were built near the best farmland. In the Hoge Berg area this was on the sides of the hills. Farmers exchanged their cow’s milk and butter with the grocer for other food. Money was earnt at the town markets along the coast of the Zuiderzee through the sale of (green!) sheep’s cheese, wool, livestock reared for meat and animals bred for sale.

Origin

The building style of the Texel farmhouses dates back to the sixteenth century. Master builders and investors from the mainland introduced a new type of farmhouse, which had already proved its success on the Dutch mainland. Before then, Texel farmers had been living in ‘long houses’: farms with an elongated form and a low attic over the full length of the building. This attic was used for storing hay and grain, the family and livestock lived downstairs.

Built around a square

The frame of a traditional farmhouse consists of a square construction of beams resting on four sturdy poles which have been driven into the ground. The square supports the timber of the pointed roof construction which lead down to the low walls.

Second-hand wood

Large seagoing ships often ran aground in the shallows near Texel. Beachcombers seized their chance when this happened and were able to salvage a lot of shipbuilding wood. It was not uncommon to use this wood for the frame of a new farmhouse or sheep barn. Investors from the mainland often did things differently. They had timber sawn to measure in the Zaanstreek and transported it to Texel.

Each house is unique

When a farmer had enough money for a new farm, the wishes of the farmer were discussed with the master builder to assess how they could be realized. Detailed building plans did not exist in those days. Carpenters and bricklayers worked according to their intuition. This explains why Texel farmhouses all look different. In the course of the centuries, the architecture of the farmhouses evolved. This is clearly visible on the crossroads between the Doolhof and the Skillepaadje. There you can compare the styles of farmhouses the Sandershuus (1637), Rozenhout (about 1700) and the Weezenplaats (1847).

The more rooftiles, the richer the farmer

Rooftiles were extremely expensive. They had to be imported from the Rivierenland district. Straw was much cheaper and a thatcher was also affordable. A new farmhouse was therefore automatically given a thatched roof. This also had an extra insulating effect. Roof tiles were only placed at the bottom of the roof, directly above the wall. In this way, livestock couldn’t chew on the straw. Rich farmers sometimes had a larger part of the roof tiled. In the reclaimed land on the Dutch mainland, you’ll find many farmhouses with a ‘tile mirror’ in the side of the roof facing the road. Now the tide has turned: thatched rooves are very expensive and an increasing number of farmhouse owners are opting for tiled roofs.

Modern farmhouses

Traditional farmhouses have long proved much too small for a modern agricultural business. Some farmers choose to build a modern barn next to their farmhouse, others move the whole enterprise elsewhere. More and more traditional farmhouses are being given a different function, usually as a luxury home or apartment complex. The architecture also changes with these new functions. The requirement for light upstairs is leading to an increase in skylights and dormers on the farmhouses in the Hoge Berg area.