Schoonoord House

The land on which Schoonoord (schoon oord means beautiful place) stands was purchased in 1832 by Oeds Oenes van den Berg, a merchant from Amsterdam. He built Schoonoord in 1835 as a castle/country estate.

It was then sold in 1845 to Frederik Adolf Söhngen, a Lieutenant Commander at Sea. Johannes Söhngen and Willem van Haarst, both employed by the French boarding school located on Molenstraat, lived in this house. The gravestones of both educators can be seen in the garden of the Boterkerkje. Willem ter Haarst died in this house, and his gravestone reads (in Dutch): "He fell asleep in Schoonoord, to awaken in a more beautiful place."

Another resident, in 1920, was Joseph Henri Felix, Count du Monceau, Lieutenant Colonel and Chamberlain to Queen Wilhelmina. In 1975, it was purchased by the current owner and is now rented out. The building and garden are not open to the public.