Het Roode Koper country estate - Ermelo

In the days of paper mills, old rags were used as raw material for making paper. Fabrics such as linen and cotton were collected, shredded and boiled into pulp, which was eventually pressed into paper. These rags were collected by rag farmers and brought to the paper mills.

The story goes that a miller from the Veluwe regularly found copper buttons among the rags. He decided to check the rags from now on and collect the buttons until he had enough to fill a large chest. Eventually, he managed to sell the buttons for a hefty sum. With that money, he had a house built, which he called ‘The Red Copper’, in reference to his special find.

When, in the 20th century, Mr J.P. van Limburg Stirum acquired the land, he founded a country estate there, keeping the name of the house. Since 1947, Landgoed Het Roode Koper has been home to a hotel and now a gourmet restaurant that carried a Michelin star for several years. While the story about the miller and his buttons may not be entirely historical, the story forms a nice link between the estate, the miller and the paper industry that was very important in the region.