Parks and gardens
Dudok Park
Located just south of the Hilversum Town Hall, this small park gives a stunning view on that building. Also of interest are the several modern bronze statues, like 'Boy with Billy Goat', 1959, by Ton Sondaar-Dobbelman; 'Birds', 1964, by Eric Claus; and 'The Actor', 1977, by Gabriel Sterk.
Boomberg Park
Between 1831 and 1841, artist Jan van Ravenswaay bought several farm fields with financial support from friends in Amsterdam. Together with his influential notary Albertus Perk, he wanted to create a leafy hiking area through the heart of Hilversum. The park can best be visited while taking the Peerlkamp Route hiking trail.
Laapersveld Park
The largest park in Hilversum and a nice place to relax or work out. Once a year in the summer, fireworks are lighted from here. The Laapersveld Pumping Station has been created by Dudok and Meijer in the style of Amsterdam School. It was used to drain rain and sewer water from the city into the pond, and from there to the Old Harbor.
De Hertenkamp Children's Farm
Small farm with plenty of animals, like birds, ducks, deer, sheep, goats, cows, ponies, donkeys, rabbits, peacocks and chicken. Nice place to bring the kids.
Bosdrift Cemetery
The garden around this cemetery was designed by the famous Dutch garden architect Leonard Springer. Being more than 110 years old, it's in the landscape style of garden design, a style that was particularly popular in England.
Costerus Garden
Only a 10-minutes walk from the centre, this garden has been here for more than 80 years. Name tags are provided for the 1200 different species of plants.
Galleries and statues
Motorbike
This work of art tries to do something new: industrial design as a form of art. An Aprilia 6.5 motorbike is displayed on a steel post in the sky of the square. It's made by the French top designer Phillipe Stark and illuminated at night.
Meent Art Gallery
Located in Hilversumse Meent, an outlying suburb of Hilversum near Bussum. It's best to make a reservation at the gallery's website if you are interesting in viewing or buying arts.
Stella
Italian for 'star', Stella is an artwork by the Italian architect, designer and artist Alessandro Mendini. The square its located on is surrounded by a mix of modern and historic buildings.
The Erfgooier
Bronze statue of an Erfgooier, completed in 1997 by Hans Bayens. Erfgooiers were descendents of people living in the Gooi area many centuries ago. They were free farmers organised as a cooperative, and had the rights to manage most of the land in the Gooi area. Their property was sold in 1933 and 1973 to the Goois Natuurreservaat Foundation GNR, which made an end to the ancient common use of soil.
GSA Gallery
Plenty of exhibitions for sculpture and other decorative arts, with a new collection every month. Most of the works are for sale.
Modern architecture
Gooiland
Designed by J. Duiker and B. Bijvoet and completed in 1936, Gooiland is an exceptional example of the 'New Style' architectural movement, listed in many architecture textbooks. As it is a hotel, it's possible to spend the night here if you wish.
Kiosk
This Kiosk looks like a design from Dudok, but it's actually designed by Bakker and Bakker and completed in 1931. Dudok's influence on these architects is clearly noticable. News papers and tobacco used to be sold here, but now it only shows touristic and cultural information on a computer screen. It was fully renovated in 1998 for its cultural and historic value.
Former AVRO Studios
The former AVRO-studios are the only buildings in Hilversum to have a miniature copy in Madurodam, as the miniature copy of Hilversum Town Hall burnt down. The studios were designed by B. Merkelback and Ch.F. Karsten. Studio 1 opened in 1936, studio 2 in 1940 at the other side of the Melkpad road. Studio 2 looks like a music box in the shape of the sound box of a violin. Both buildings are connected with an underground tunnel. Now it's the home of the tv-production company Blue Circle, but the letters "AVRO" can still be seen if you look closely.
Willem Marinus Dudok
With a total of 75 designs in Hilversum alone, Dudok is the only Dutch architect to put such a personal stamp on one particular town. Hilversum has been called his life's work. In 1905 he started his career in the Dutch army, but he spent most of his spare time designing buildings. When Dudok became director of Public Works in Hilversum in 1915, he started designing hundreds of buildings and even entire neighborhoods. His job was his only passion and every detail was carefully thought through. At first Dudok followed the rational style of Hendrik Berlage, but later designs show a distinct mix of styles with influences from Frank Lloyd Wright.
There are so many modern architectural masterpieces in Hilversum, it almost feels like an open air museum. However, finding these buildings scattered all over the city can be a frustrating experience. The modern architect W.M. Dudok shaped most of 20th century Hilversum and approximately 75 buildings still bear his stamp. Dudok's distinctive mix of styles is heavily influenced by Nieuwe Bouwen New Building, also called New Objectivity, a radical movement in urban architecture in the Netherlands, Germany and France in the period 1915-1960. The best way to explore Dudok's designs is by walking or biking the W.M. Dudok Architectural Route, as explained in the Do-section. Start your journey in the world of modern architecture with his masterpiece, the Hilversum Town Hall.
Hilversum Town Hall
This is unquestionably Dudok's masterpiece. Built in 1928-1931, this building has wide international fame and features in many architecture textbooks. The building has a remarkable shape and feels like a combination of 'blocks'. It's built with specifically designed yellow bricks that have a slightly different size than traditional ones. Dudok is also responsible for the interior, the furniture, the decorations and even the font. Every Friday at 1:30PM and Sunday at 1:30PM and 3PM there is a guided tour through the town hall for â¬7.50. It is in Dutch, but the guide will also tell something in English upon request. It gives you the chance to view some rooms closed to the public, such as the marriage room and the mayor room. You will also visit the Dudok Dependance, a permanent overview of Dudoks life and work. At the end, you will climb the 46 metre tower for a nice view of Hilversum and the surrounding areas. There are special arrangements possible for groups. For bookings, call the listed phone number or ask the staff of Museum Hilversum.
Dudok Dependance
The Dudok Dependance is a separate part of Hilversum's famous town hall, located in the basement of the building. Administered by the Museum Hilversum, it is basically a permanent overview of Dudoks life and work. There's also an exposition on the renovation of the town hall, which took place during 1989-1996. It took 5 years to restore the exterior and the interior to their original state, which almost plunged the municipality of Hilversum into bankruptcy. Keep in mind that it's only opened on Friday and Sunday from 1 until 4:30PM.
Churches
Church of our Sweet Lady
Designed by architect Wolter ter Riele, this church in neo-gothic style was completed in 1910. Especially pay attention to the 28 stained glass windows and unique lay-out.
Great Church
The medieval tower of this church is the oldest remaining structure in Hilversum, as it originates from 1481. The rest of the church was built in 1891 in neo-renaissance style. It has a history of being the victim of fires a number of times. The last fire was in 1971, after which the church was completely restored. It can only be attended during religious ceremonies.
The Boulder
Having a weight of 10.435 kg, the Boulder was found on the heath between Laren and Hilversum. It was carried here from Scandinavia during the last Ice Age. In 1921, a festive parade was organised when the Boulder was moved to its current location in the centre of town.