Rampart Teahouses

Four 18th-century teahouses on a rampart. In the first half of the 18th century, scholars commissioned ornamental gardens with domed summer houses. In the town, only villas had gardens with domed summer houses. It was not until 1734 that householders were also allowed to build domed summer houses in their gardens. In 1746, the land between the rampart and streets such as Eisingastraat was made available for purchase. Those who purchased a plot could build a garden with appurtenances as far as the rampart. At one time there were eleven domed summer houses along the north rampart. Three disappeared when excavation work was carried out on the rampart between 1853 and 1855. Fortunately, the excavation work was halted, but the little teahouses continued to disappear. In 1938, the municipality had one demolished to build a school.

In the 1960s, those that remained were renovated, but to deter vandals, in 1971 it was decided that they should be boarded up. They were now protected as listed buildings, which saved them from demolition. Today, they have been restored to their former glory.

What is now the first of the four little teahouses was commissioned by the mayor and merchant Paulus Johannes Haitsma and built in 1775. The second was commissioned by the mayor and carpenter Sicco Pieters Ens and built in 1769. In 1803 this little teahouse was badly damaged by a violent storm. The third little teahouse was commissioned by cloth merchant Sijbren Wijbrens Wijngaarden and built in 1747. The fourth little teahouse, known as the domed summer house of Tjeerd Banga, was built in 1778