One of the "attractions" we have in Tilburg is the Revolving House. This is a house that is mounted on rails and it moves around one of the city's traffic rotondas. It is unique to Tilburg, as far as I know.
The house is a project of John Körmeling, a designer from Eindhoven, the Netherlands.The house has three levels, and looks quite ordinary, except for the fact that it goes around that rotonda. It is rather controversial, and the municipal government was initially worried that it would pose a traffic problem (i.e. drivers looking at the house instead of the road), but when he lowered the rotation speed from once per hour to once a day, the municipal government agreed.
The revolving house has invited its share of controversy. Some political parties see this work of art as a waste of money. The Euro 600,000 that was spent for it could have been given to help the poor etc. At the same time, many of the poorer residents of Tilburg (as well as the not poor, of course) think of the revolving house as a nice piece of art that helps put Tilburg on the map, and which is at the same time cute or amusing. A couple of times, there have been krakers (people who squat, often for political reasons) have occupied this house, to protest various "money-wasting" projects of the municipality. At another time, a group of "Guerilla gardeners" came over and decorated the house with plants and flowers.
The municipality is considering that the upkeep of the house could be turned over to the hotel that is next to it in the rotonda. The house could then possibly be used for receptions and other activities of the hotel, in exchange for the hotel paying for the maintenance of the house. So far, nothing has come out of this idea.
Well, we now have the revolving house in Tilburg, and it is a permanent fixture of the city. I'm sure that it will play a role in Tilburg's city life, for better or for worse, in the years to come.
Posts
