The Dutch Maze and Labyrinth Symposium 2011 finished officially on June 3. Outside the provided programme we could find this extraordinary labyrinthine art work.
In the park of the police academy in the Huis ‘t Velde at Warnsveld lies the “Tuin van Bezinning” (garden of reflection) called national monument by and for the police in the Netherlands. It is a place where people can commemorate and pay honor to those police officers who have died since January 1, 1946 in the performance of her duty, as a result of violence or an accident. The garden is designed as a place for rest, contemplation and reflection on the fundamental values of the police profession. The garden also serves an important function in the formation and development of police officers.
The design, by the firm of landscape architects Poelmans Reesink, is a labyrinth of raised grass and shell paths. The areas of grass are in the shape of acanthus leaves. At the beginning of the 18th century, Daniel Marot, who contributed to the present architecture of Huis ‘t Velde, also applied the acanthus leaf in his architectural details. The names of the deceased police officers are inscribed along the edges of the leaf shapes. In a digital memorial book till now 140 names are listed and the place of every inscription is marked in a site plan.
A water basin at central place is fed from 12 spouts and the water is conducted to the nearby flowing Berkel.
The official opening was in March 2006. Every year on the 2nd Thursday in June a commemoration ceremony takes place.
The garden is open daily from dawn to dusk. A big parking lot exists.
Here the interactive map of Google Earth, above all for those who want to visit the memorial. It is not easy to find and also most locals do not know it:
Related links (in Dutch)
- Tuin van Bezinning: Article on Wikipedia
- Tuin van Bezinning: Website of the police