Unveiling ornament
Thanks to an initiative of residents Joop Kruijswijk and Wim Kloosterman, the Utrechtse Poort in Naarden, has its "trophy of arms" back. On Sunday afternoon, October 9, the bronze ornament was festively unveiled with trumpet blasts and cannon roars. With the reconstructed ornament, the gate once again has the central crowning as once intended by architect Jacobus van Lokhorst in 1877. The magnificent statue, also called the frontispiece, disappeared from the city entrance in 1944-1945 for an unknown reason. It could only still be seen on old postcards and drawings.
Jeroen van der Werf | Project Manager
An exciting unveiling at the Utrecht Gate in Naarden. The bronze ornament was replaced. A special road the ornament traveled....
Willem Noyons
Utrecht sculptor Willem Noyons made the bronze reconstruction. Noyons, also a designer and silversmith in daily life, regularly works with the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, for which he makes reconstructions or copies of sculptures. He brought expertise in design, technique and use of materials and put many hours with his team into historical research for the Utrecht Gate ornament. Aided by data from the National Archives and the National Military Museum, the meaning and dimensions of each part were traced from old photographs and construction drawings.
Finance
In addition to contributions from Monumentenbezit as owner of the gate and the city council, Kruijswijk and Kloosterman literally went around raising the money for the reconstruction. With playful actions, they regularly informed their city's residents about the project. For example, during Carnival 2019, a homemade replica stood atop the gate. With dimes and quarters, the foundation was laid for their dream, which turned out to cost 55,000 euros in all. Jelmer Kruijt, concerned politician from Gooise Meren embraced the initiative and successfully launched the lobby.
We thank all donors for contributing to this special initiative!