All through his life, Jan Herman van Heek would go on long journeys. He really wanted to see the world. He documented his travels in eighteen bulky diaries. He vividly describes his travels and we learn his views on the world’s political situation at the time. He was also a keen sketcher, and a very good one too. No less than 93 sketchbooks show us the world through his eyes. Drawing for him meant a chance to relax. His little case with drawing equipment accompanied him everywhere. Everything he took an interest in, which was quite a lot actually, was meticulously recorded with sketch pen and India ink. Together with his children, he spent many a Saturday afternoon on drawing courses in Twente and the German Westfalen area. Still but a boy he accompanied his father and elder brothers on shooting parties. He also went shooting quite a lot on his Bergh estate. The many antlers that adorn the walls in the castle hall are a testimony of this. Jan Herman Van Heek regarded shooting as good stewardship, as getting the balance right.
For more information on the great fire of 1939, press A For more information on Van Heek’s various passions, press B