Location 3: Edisonlaan / Laan van Zevenhuizen

For decades, the well-known personal care products were manufactured on the site of the former Zwitsal factory. It is the success story of the pharmacist and entrepreneur Cor Jansen. 

In 1920, he set up a small pharmaceutical factory in Apeldoorn on the corner of Floralaan and Deventerstraat. It was Jansen’s Swiss ointment, which he sold under the name ‘Zwitsal’, that brought him particular success. The cheerful baby’s face that looked out at you from the powder jars, ointment pots and lotion bottles was that of his daughter, Mieke Jansen. 

Shortly after the Second World War, he moved the factory to this site on Vlijtseweg. This location was attractive because it was situated directly on the canal, meaning that raw materials and waste could be delivered and removed by boat. A number of the buildings therefore faced the canal.  

From the company’s foundation until its takeover by a major multinational in 1964, Christiaan ten Tuynte was the in-house architect. He designed all the buildings up to that point. As a result, despite their different shapes and years of construction, they form a strong unity. The company closed in 2011. Cor Jansen remained involved with the company – which he had built up entirely on his own – right up until his death in 1975. 

See also: Construction of the Zwitsal factory on Deventerstraat 

The pike: king of the fresh water 

In still, clear water, surrounded by reeds and water lilies, reigns a predator that has played a key role in the balance of the ecosystem for centuries: the pike. With its streamlined body, sharp teeth and lightning-fast attack, it is a master hunter. But its value extends far beyond its impressive hunting skills alone. 

The pike is an apex predator. This means that it sits at the top of the food chain and regulates the populations of other fish. Without pike, species such as bream and roach could multiply explosively. An overpopulation of these fish can lead to overgrazing of aquatic plants and an increase in floating algae. The water then becomes cloudy, the oxygen level drops, and eventually the ecosystem slowly dies off. 

The pike’s presence helps to keep the ecosystem in balance. It ensures that there remains sufficient diversity: not too many herbivores, not too many small predatory fish. This even has an indirect effect on birds, insects and amphibians that depend on clear water and healthy vegetation. 

Furthermore, the pike is an indicator species. Its presence reveals a great deal about water quality. Pike need clean, oxygen-rich water. If they disappear, this is often a sign that the ecosystem is under pressure from pollution, climate change or human activity. Humans influence the life of the pike through activities such as fishing. View all appointments that have been made on this subject.