History and Transformation of ‘t Hammetje: From Folly Fortress to Eclectic Haven

‘ t Hammetje , also known as Hammetjes Paradijs , officially Ham Viswaterplas , is a plot with a fairytale fortress on the Domstraat north of the canalised river Laak near the Vathorst district in Amersfoort . The structure is a folly and previously did not have the function of a fortress. It has two towers, Willem I and Willem II. Part of the 8-hectare site consists of a desanding pond that was dug to enable the construction of the A28 motorway .

Inventor and namesake Willem Ham built it since 1988 as a fortress against the advancing Amersfoort . He planted the plot with trees and shrubs. He used boulders, rubble and sewage pipes as material for the fort. He combined this with other materials such as church windows, agricultural tools and figurines. In addition, he constructed islands with rubble, two of which he named after the Wadden Islands of Texel and Rottum . Another island, called Man, takes the form of a naked Eve straddling . This shape changed over the years due to vegetation.

In 1992 a report on his project was made in the television program Paradijsvogels . During the bird flu of 2003 and 2006, the poultry present had to be culled preventively , including hundreds of chickens, fowls, peacocks, ducks and geese. Ham also kept some other animals, such as sheep and ponies.

Before 1998, this estate was located in the outskirts of the municipality of Nijkerk . Due to a border change, part of the Laak-Noord area was added to the municipality of Amersfoort on 1 January 1998.

Ham sold his estate in July 2005 to the municipality of Amersfoort and the Development Company Vathorst, to enable a connection ( Linksweg ) between Vathorst and entry and exit 8a of the A28. He died in 2006 after a short illness. The plot is not directly accessible to the public. Since then, theater productions with an audience have taken place at that location.