Squash will become an Olympic sport in 2028. The first track at De Steeg was built in 1914, but no one knew about it.
picture during Guilders Archive
Squash came In 1934 To the Netherlands – officially at that time. According to the reading of the Dutch Squash Federation, J. Fentener van Vlissingen was responsible for this. He built the first squash court in Utrecht. Amsterdam followed with a squash court at Bolmanshuis next to Krasnapolsky. This was followed by the construction of three squash courts in Rotterdam (VSSR – later Victoria) and finally two courts in ‘Little Switzerland’ in The Hague.’
But the history goes back even further, because to the great surprise of the association, it turned out that a squash court had been built at Midachten Castle in De Steg, near Arnhem, as early as 1914. However, this was intended for indoor use only and was therefore not part of From the official department. In Medachten, they did not realize until that moment that their track, which was in poor condition at the time, was very special.
Carpentry workshop
This historic stadium is located within the castle’s service buildings, which were built in the seventeenth centuryH The century was built. It was rebuilt between 1875 and 1914, after which architect Samuel Weatherly converted one of those wings into a squash hall in 1914. “The Count liked to play squash here,” says the Middachten website. “The space was later used as a carpentry workshop and storage area, but fortunately the character of the interior has been preserved.”
This hall was restored in 2013, after being out of use for decades. After investigation it turned out that this court is actually the oldest in our country and the Squash Federation – coincidentally only operates 75H Anniversary – Asks for his help to reuse it again.
“We thought the oldest court was in Utrecht or Rotterdam, and then this,” Marcel Borst, director of the squash federation, told Sport & Zaken. “Lovely. We’re glad we were able to help and we think it’s great that we have a connection and can let history and contemporary use go hand in hand here.”
Enthusiasts of the historic game of squash here For reservations.
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