VISUAL – RELATIONSHIP | Zicht - Relatie
Four lookout hills or “kiekovers” are a contemporary reminder of the redoubts or watchtowers from the Eighty Years’ War (1568-1648).
Redoubts are watchtowers that were part of the Mauritslinie: a line of fortifications, ramparts and redoubts that Prince Maurice of Orange had built along the major rivers. The prince made grateful use of the river water to protect the vulnerable heart of the Republic when the field army was operating far from home. The Mauritslinie could be reinforced by flooding areas to the south and east.
The lookout hills or redoubts have a pyramidal shape that always blends in with the landscape. Like a compass, the ribs of the pyramids point to the four cardinal directions. A hawthorn hedge is always rotated 45˚ relative to the square base of the pyramid. At the top are geometric seating objects with poems in relief that tell stories about the history and future of the various locations.
The redoubts are all visible to each other.
The lookout hills symbolise the decisive role of the rivers – the water – in the struggle for Dutch freedom. The creativity with which the water was used in this context can be a source of inspiration at a time when we must once again learn to deal resourcefully with water in order to face a new enemy: climate change.
- Commissioned by:
- Municipality of Zevenaar
- In collaboration with:
- Rien van den Heuvel heeft de gedichten geschreven | Ferdinand van Hemmen heeft adviezen gegeven
- Location:
- Rijnstrangen Zevenaar en Lobith
- Year:
- between 2015 and 2020