Bust of Descartes in the cemetery around the Castle Chapel in
Egmond aan den Hoef.
When I recently
visited the village of Egmond, I also wanted to see where Descartes had lived,
for during his long stay in the Netherlands Descartes lived also several years
in Egmond. Egmond is situated about 35 km north of Amsterdam in the province of
Noord-Holland (North Holland). Actually there is not one village called
“Egmond”, but there are three villages with that name, situated a few
kilometres from each other, although I’ll sometimes write “Egmond”, for short.
Egmond aan Zee is a seaside resort on the North Sea coast. Egmond-Binnen is
situated more inland, just like Egmond aan den Hoef. For centuries there was an
abbey in Egmond-Binnen, but it was destructed in 1573 during the Eighty Years’
War, the Dutch war of independence against Spain. Egmond aan den Hoef was known
by its castle, owned by one of the mightiest noble families of the Netherlands.
The castle was also destructed in 1573. During the years 1643-1649 Descartes
lived for some time both in Egmond-Binnen and in Egmond aan den Hoef. The ruins
of the abbey and the castle could still be seen in those days. The chapel of
the castle had been restored and was used as a Protestant church.
In the 19th century, one of the intriguing questions about Descartes was: Why
did he go to live in Egmond? Maybe in the 19th century the question was obvious,
but it was also an ahistorical question. For although in the 19th century the
three Egmonds had become dull and rather isolated villages, during the years
that Descartes lived there the situation was different. Before the execution of
the Count of Egmond by the Spaniards in 1568 and the destruction of the castle
by the Dutch rebels in 1573 Egmond was an important political centre. Before
the destruction of the abbey in 1573 Egmond was also an important cultural
centre. In the mid-17th century Egmond still had this reputation and therefore
many wealthy merchants and political leaders had built their country houses in
the region. Moreover, Egmond is only about 8 km from the city of Alkmaar. In
1637 Descartes had stayed in Egmond and Alkmaar for a short time, looking for a
place to live for his beloved Helen Jans van der Stroom and their daughter
Francine (who would die in 1641). This made that Descartes knew the region
already a little bit. Also the city of Haarlem was not far from Egmond (about
35 km). During his stay in Egmond, Descartes visited both cities regularly. All
this makes clear that in the mid-17th century Egmond was not the isolated place
that in the 19th century and for a long time thereafter till not so long ago it
was thought to be.Why then went Descartes to live in Egmond? Descartes himself doesn’t tell us,
but a recent analysis by Peter
J.H. van den Berg makes clear that he had good reasons for his choice.
- Helen Jans lived in Egmond aan den
Hoef. Although she had married
another man in 1644, Descartes kept always a good relation with her and he was
present as a witness when she married.
- Descartes was looking for a quiet place to live. Though the three villages of
Egmond were not isolated, they were quiet places where visitors would not drop
in frequently. Moreover, Descartes liked gardening and walking. Egmond was a
good place for that.
- Descartes was a Roman Catholic. In the Netherlands, officially only the
Reformed Church was allowed to hold religious services, but other religious
services, including Roman Catholic services, were tolerated so long as this
wasn’t done too openly. Especially, in Egmond Roman Catholic services were
tolerated more or less openly.
- Descartes had contacts in the highest circles of society. Constantijn
Huygens, secretary of the Prince of Orange, was a close friend of him, for
instance. Friends and acquaintances lived in Alkmaar and Haarlem, or (like
Huygens) regularly visited these towns. So, though living in Egmond, Descartes
could well maintain his intellectual, cultural and political relations.
Descartes did not live continuously in Egmond during the years 1643-1649. From
May 1643 till June 1644 he lived in Egmond aan den Hoef. From November 1644
till June 1647; from October 1647 till May 1648; and then from September 1648
till September 1649 he lived in Egmond-Binnen. It is not known where exactly in
Egmond aan den Hoef Descartes then stayed. Probably he had rented the country estate
called “Tijdverdrijf” (“Pastime”), outside the village. It had a garden, and it
was big enough to live there with a secretary and some servants and to receive
visitors. In 1637 Descartes had lived for a short time in a house opposite the
castle chapel. In June 1644 Descartes left Egmond and stayed four months in
France. He returned to Egmond in November of the same year. Now he established
himself in Egmond-Binnen. Also during his other stays in Egmond he lived there.
Probably, he had rented the house called the “Hooge Huys” (High House), later
called “Zorgwijck” (Escape from the Worries), in the centre of the village on
the corner of what now are the Abdijlaan and De Krijt. It was a mansion with a
large garden and an orchard. Descartes liked it to live in Egmond-Binnen and
the inhabitants liked him, too, and he was called the Good Frenchman.
It is a pity that nothing remains of the houses Descartes inhabited. They do
not exist any longer. Also the three villages of Egmond have changed a lot.
However, when I was in Egmond I have taken photos of the places where Descartes’s
houses once were. You find them below.
Sources: Besides Van den Berg’s book (see link above), I have also used
Hans Dijkhuis, Descartes. Zijn Nederlandse Jaren.
of the restored foundations of the castle are visible. Descartes lived
in the street behind the chapel, about where the green shed (or
whatever it is) is.
No comments:
Post a Comment