A Dutch palace in the province of Limburg

Authors

  • Rosa Visser-Zaccagnini

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7480/knob.105.2006.1-2.191

Abstract

 

On 1 January 1924 the Rotterdam engineer Gustavus Cornelis (Kees) Bremer (1880-1949) was appointed as head of the unified Government Buildings Agency, with the title of chief government architect. Within Dutch modern architecture Bremer acted as a link between the architecture of H.R Berlage and of J.J.P. Oud by means of a powerful and monumental form language. The new 'Gouvernementsgebouw' (government building) in Maastricht is one of his major designs. The total work took approximately five years, from January 1930 to 1 July 1935, the date of the official opening.

Bremer was confronted with a multifunctional assignment: not only an office and conference building, but also an official residence and pied-à-terre for the royal family. It is plausible that Bremer, who was looking for a typology for the complex, was inspired by the classical imperial buildings. In order not to affect the existing historical context, the brick- and natural- stone façades fit in with the old, simple roof-to-roof houses. The exterior with its severe austerity conceals the extravagant wealth of the interior.

Limburg artists worked together on the iconographic programme, which had a strong political undertone: the fact that Limburg belonged to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the protective and directive task of the state, the promise of freedom for the Roman-Catholic population in a Protestant country. From the iconographic point of view the tower is a symbol of the unity of the province belonging to the national state.

Author Biography

Rosa Visser-Zaccagnini

Drs. Rosa Visser-Zaccagnini is in 1944 geboren te Rome. In 1972 is zij afgestudeerd aan de Universiteit van Rome als architect. In 2002 heeft zij met succes de studie Kunstgeschiedenis met de specialisatie Bouwkunst aan de Universiteit van Utrecht afgesloten. In haar doctoraalscriptie stonden het leven en het werk van rijksbouwmeester G.C. Bremer centraal. Sinds 1 januari 2005 is zij als vrijwilliger verbonden aan de stichting Bonas te Rotterdam.

Published

2006-02-01

How to Cite

Visser-Zaccagnini, R. (2006). A Dutch palace in the province of Limburg. Bulletin KNOB, 105(1-2), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.7480/knob.105.2006.1-2.191

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