The Ecocathedral in Mildam, Friesland, is the most renowned work of artist Louis Le Roy (1924–2012). In the 1970s, Le Roy gained recognition for his ideas on the ‘wild garden’. For Le Roy, a garden was not merely a collection of plants and trees, but a space shaped by the creative interaction between flora, fauna, and humans. More than just a garden, Le Roy aimed to create a habitat — an ideal space for the dynamic relationships between plants, insects, people, birds, trees, and all other forms of life.

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Le Roy developed these ideas not only in his own garden, but also published them in his book Natuur uitschakelen natuur inschakelen, in which he presents an ecological vision for the development of gardens, parks, and cities. He rejected the monotony of controlled, functionalist public gardens, such as those designed by Mien Ruys.

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In fact, Le Roy never really designed his gardens in the conventional sense — their form emerged gradually and continued to evolve. The municipality of Heerenveen, which includes Mildam, played an active role in supporting this project. Le Roy was provided with the municipality’s construction waste, which served as the foundation for his ecocathedral. Local residents were also actively involved in stacking materials and, at times, in sowing and planting the natural ruins. Afterwards, Le Roy tried to leave the garden undisturbed as much as possible, keeping maintenance to the bare minimum. Time and natural growth processes were given free rein.

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Le Roy’s approach struck a chord. In the Heerenveen-Midden district, a city park is being developed according to the principles of the ecocathedral, and in the Lewenborg district of Groningen, a Le Roy area has been under development as an ecocathedral since the 1970s. Le Roy passed away in 2012, and the TIJD Foundation was established to ensure the continuation of the ecocathedral’s development for future generations.

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The Ecocathedral is alive and ever-growing, and open to the public free of charge, every day of the year.

You can find more information on https://leroytuin.nl/

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