De Haar Castle

De Haar Castle is the largest and most luxurious castle in The Netherlands.

Few Dutch castles can equal De Haar for its ideal image of a medieval fortress with towers and ramparts, moats, gates, and drawbridges.

The current building was constructed upon the foundations of the original castle in 1892.

Baron Etienne van Zuylen, who inherited the impressive ruins of De Haar, decided to rebuild it on a grand scale as a monument of his family history and a reminder of its glory days.

The oldest historical record of a building at the location dates to the end of the 14th century.

Originally, the castle was owned by a member of the Van der Haar family.

In the 15th century, the castle was passed through marriage into the lineage of the Van Zuylen family, who have owned it until today.

The structure was probably destroyed and rebuilt several times through the centuries until Baron van Zuylen inherited the ruined castle in 1890 from his grandfather.

The Baron had always fantasized about rebuilding De Haar Castle.

Luckily for him, his marriage to Baroness Helene de Rothschild (a member of the extremely wealthy De Rothschild family) enabled him to make his fantasy come true.

To achieve this, Baron Etienne decided to collaborate with the renowned architect Pierre Cuypers, who was famous for designing the Rijksmuseum and the Central Station in Amsterdam.

Cuypers's neo-Gothic architectural style, strongly reminiscent of the Middle Ages, fitted well with the Baron's desire to turn the castle into a family museum.

Pierre Cuypers worked on this project for 20 years.

When it was finished, the castle had 200 rooms and 30 bathrooms, and it was equipped with the most modern facilities, such as electrical lighting with its own generator and central heating.

De Haar Castle, one of the bedrooms
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De Haar Castle, one of the bathrooms
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The interior was rebuilt in a luxurious style with richly ornamented woodcarving, reminding one of a Roman Catholic church.

The kitchen was very modern for its time and still features its copper pots and pans, the largest extant set in the Netherlands.

the collection of copper pots and pans
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A large park now surrounds the castle, but this wasn't always the case.

To make space for the park, an entire village had to be torn down and rebuilt a kilometer away.

Because the park had to be fully grown as soon as possible, 7000 40-year-old trees were transported from all over the province to the site.

Today, only part of the rooms are open to the public.

The interior is richly decorated, featuring an extensive collection of valuable antiques from all over the world.

The centerpiece is an 18th-century palanquin that belonged to the wife of a Japanese shogun.

De Haar Castle: Japanese palanquin
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It is the only one of two worldwide, the other being exhibited in Tokyo.

The Main Hall is a unique space in the Netherlands with an 18-meter-high wooden vault, half Gothic cathedral, and half luxurious hotel lobby.

De Haar Castle, the Main Hall
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In the regal Dining Room, guests have been dining at the same table and in the same manner for over 100 years.

De Haar Castle, the Dining Room
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The Knights' Hall would welcome guests after their arrival.

De Haar Castle, the Knights' Hall
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The beautiful park contains many waterworks and a formal garden that reminds one of the gardens of Versailles.

De Haar Castle, formal garden
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Ranking among the top-visited Dutch museums, Castle de Haar is a breathtaking destination that seamlessly blends modern restoration with historic grandeur.