The idyllic half-timbered courtyard of the Mayor Stroof House needs to be transformed.

The thuja trees planted in the course of the rescue work 30 years ago had to be felled because of wall damage. Historically, they were not necessarily appropriate anyway. They have now been replaced by an adequate species of tree whose shape is striking: they are two lime trees grown as a box-shaped trellis for the special purpose of providing privacy and protection from view.

This type of natural boundary marking has been handed down historically and is still common today in the Lower Rhine region and in Holland. Winter lime, botanically: Tilia Cordata. In the future, the Stroof House will have a direct visual connection with Lede Castle, on whose former site the flood-proof well house of the castle was located as the medieval predecessor of today's Stroof House.

As a consequence of this replanting, parts of the courtyard must now also receive a new paving design. The well-known collection of antique landmarks and boundary stones, which was recently expanded, is also to be repositioned. At the same time, a historic watering place for visitors is to be built.

The Monument and History Society plans to inaugurate its redesigned half-timbered courtyard in mid-June, when another StroofSalon is on the calendar of events. This will also be an opportunity to thank the municipal building management SGB for their constructive cooperation.