Artikel 'Discover Dutch castles' in Timeless Travels

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Dutch Castles & Stately Homes

Exploring

NETHERLANDS

NETHERLANDS

The Netherlands has over 700 castles, country retreats and estates, a fact that not generally known. Matilda Hickson was invited to explore a selection of these hidden gems

D

utch Castles?” my other half proclaimed, “isn’t that an oxymoron?” Demanding an explanation, he went on “I didn’t know the Netherlands had any castles. Think castles and you think mountains with them perched on top. There aren’t a lot of mountains in the Netherlands - are there?”

And so went the conversation when I announced that I had been invited on a trip to explore some Dutch castles, which was actually very similar to other conversations with friends.

There was frank astonishment that such a thing even existed. But this is what I love about the Netherlands: just when you think you’ve got it covered, it provides more hidden gems - and this time, as I was to discover, that included over 700 castles and stately homes.

My visit began in an unusual manor; rather than the 6.50 flight to Amsterdam I found myself sipping champagne for breakfast in the

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Premium Lounge of the DFDS ferry that runs between Dover and Calais. Not a bad way to start the day. I was used to sailing between the UK and Spain, but hadn’t thought of reaching the Netherlands by ferry rather than a flight.

With 54 daily sailings, this is an easy way to travel and the early start was made bearable by complete relaxation in a large spacious lounge with a fabulous breakfast and numerous drinks on offer, including champagne.

The 700 castles throughout the Netherlands include historical forts and stately homes too.

Many are open to the public as museums, tourist attractions, hotels, hostels or restaurants. And what a fabulous collection they are! We saw an example of each: historic castle, stately home and the most fairy tale castle outside of Disneyland, Kasteel da Haar, which was in a dilapidated state before it was completely renovated by the Rothschilds as one of their country estates.

SLOT LOEVESTEIN, GELDERLAND Above: The castle of Slot Loevestein with armoury in foreground Right, top: The Castle’s museum

Previous pages: The fairy tale castle of De Haar, Utrecht Below: Aerial view of Slot Loevestein, Gelderland

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Right, middle: Drawings by the Scottish soldiers based at the castle for nearly 200 years Right, bottom: The skeleton of a young girl, discovered at the castle. Dating 1450 - 1550, it is thought that her father was a soldier or servant at the castle. She was buried simply, directly in the earth of the graveyard, which was partially located under the street where the soldiers’ barracks stood. Judging by the new teeth that were coming through, she was probably 7 or 8 years old when she died. She is identified as a girl by the copper brooch that lay on her left shoulder and would have held her shroud in place. Male skeletons wore a loincloth.

Our first visit was to Slot Loevestein, which is apparently the most well-known castle in the Netherlands. Our visit got off to a great start with the most fabulous afternoon tea waiting for us, which we enjoyed sitting in the courtyard bathed in sunshine. Replenished and ready to go, we set off for our tour with our guide dressed in appropriate medieval costume.

The castle was built by Dirc Loef van Horne, a knight, between 1357 and 1397. The name of the castle, Loevestein, means ‘Loef’s stein (stone) house’. The castle is known as a water castle because it was built in a strategic location in the middle of the Netherlands, where the Maas and Waal rivers come together (just west of current day villages of Poederoijen and Brakel). It started as a simple brick building which used to collect tolls from boats travelling up and down the river. By 1372, the castle was under control of the Counts of Holland and in the 16th century it was expanded to a larger fortress surrounded by earthen fortifications, two moats, an arsenal, and housing for a commander and soldiers.

The castle was also part of the Hollandic Water Line, the main Dutch defence line that was based on flooding an area of land south and east of the western provinces in the 17th century. It was conceived by Maurice of Nassau and meant that together with natural bodies of water, the Water Line could be used to transform Holland almost into an island.

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NETHERLANDS

The castle changed hands twice between the Northern Dutch and the Spanish during the Eighty Years’ War and from 1619 the castle became a prison for political prisoners.

The most famous inmate was the eminent lawyer, poet and politician, Hugo de Groot (Hugo Grotius) often presented as the ‘father of modern international law’, as he wrote De Jure belli ac Pacis (On the law of War and Peace) a treatise on international law and also Mare Liberum (The Freedom of the Seas) on maritime law, both becoming the foundations for international law. De Groot was serving a life sentence from 1619, and was imprisoned in Loevestein with his family and servants. A teenage intellectual prodigy, he was born in Delft and had studied at Leiden University.

He was imprisoned for his involvement in the intra-Calvinist disputes of the Dutch Republic, but he was allowed to study, and regularly received a large chest full of books. The chest was always checked by the guards on its arrival and return, but as time went by, the guard sbecame lax in their duties. De Groot’s wife, Maria van Reigersberch, devised his ingenious escape plan in 1621 whereby De Groot should escape by hiding in the book chest. Her plan was successful, and he escaped to France, and his family were allowed to join him. He subsequently became the Swedish Ambassador to France for 10 years, where he also wrote most of his major works in exile.

NETHERLANDS

Don’t miss the museum on your visit, which includes many of the archaeological objects that have been excavated from the castle, including a child’s skeleton. Also look out for the paintings and sketches of Scottish soldiers in the old Governor’s Rooms. They were stationed at the castle as mercenaries between 1595-1783, and in much demand for their bravery. After the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the Scots were forbidden to wear their tartan and kilts, so these drawings are a timely reminder of their history too.

On your visit you will also be given a key, which can be used throughout the castle and in the museum, to provide extra information and stories that help bring the castle to life.

HUIS MIDDACHTEN, GELDERLAND

Left, top: Portrait of Hugo de Groot Left: Slot Loevestein at sunset Top: Aerial view of Huis Middachten Above: Duke Graaf zu Ortenburg with his chocolate labrador Right: Huis Middachten

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Huis Middachten was once a castle, but it has the look now of a country house and estate. Middachten is proud that the estate has been in the same family for over 800 years, and has never been sold – it has only changed hands by inheritance. It is still a family home, and we were welcomed by the current owner, Duke Graaf zu Ortenburg, and his faithful hound.

The main house that you see today was built at the end of the 17th century. It is surrounded by water with picturesque water lilies and is reached by a bridge. The house has been modernised over the years, although the current Duke confessed it wasn’t practical to live in today - they live in the old stable blocks. But the house is open to the public and they can delight in furniture, portraits and china collections dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries.

The estate is still a working one, and consists of forests, farms and farmland. Many visitors come to see the beautiful gardens, which were originally laid out at the beginning of the 18th century, in ‘Versailles style’, but later

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were adapted to an English landscape style, which was in vogue at the time. It was restored back to its original design in the 1980s. The general public can thank the high taxes that were introduced after WWI for being able to enjoy the gardens: by opening the gardens to the public, the estate would be exempt from the new tax. However, as the estate didn’t want to give the impression that the current owner needed the money, any profits from the entry fee were given to charity.

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NETHERLANDS

KASTEEL DE HAAR, UTRECHT

Unexpectedly, although perhaps not with the connection between the Dutch and the English, Middachten has strong ties to the United Kingdom. Godard van Reede (1644-1703), a diplomat and ambassador to Berlin, was asked

by William III to help fight at the Battle of the Boyne. After the English king withdrew from Ireland, Godard and his army captured one Irish town after another. These victories are recorded in the hallway to the house. Look for five scrolled frames on the first floor landing and you will see the names of the places where Godard was victorious in Ireland; namely Ballymore, Galway, Limerick, Aughrim and Athlone. In return for these Irish victories, William awarded Godard with the titles of Earl of Athlone and Baron of Aughrim, and promoted him to general of the Cavalry and later to Field Marshal. Look out for an Irish harp that is also part of the decorations of the rather grand wooden staircase, which was designed to show off the importance of the owner of the house.

Godard was also pronounced as Knight of the Order of the Elephant by King Christian V of Denmark - which is why a portrait of the Danish King also hangs in the house and above the entrance to the house is the decorations of the Order of the Elephant.

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After the extinction of the Reede family in 1844, Middachten was inherited by the descendants of Hans Willem Bentinck. His son and family remained in England, inheriting the title of Earl and later Duke of Portland.

Their second son, William, returned to Holland and is the founder of the line of the Counts Bentinck. The current Duke comes from a noble German family from Ortenburg in Bavaria and it was Aurel Ortenburg who married Isabelle van Aldenburg Bentinck, and they moved to Middachten in the mid 1980s.

Besides the gorgeous gardens and house, there is a picturesque café to be found in the old orangery. Don’t forget to look out for the old menu cards on display in the kitchen, which gives you some idea of the lavish dinners that were once held at the Middachten estate.

Above: The beautiful garden at Huis Middachten Below: A lithograph of De Haar Castle before restoration Right: top to bottom: Etienne and Hélène in front of the pyramids in Egypt; The soaring roof of the Inner Court; The Dining room at De Haar; Guests leaving the castle

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The Kasteel de Haar comes complete with turrets, ramparts, drawbridge and a moat and is so fairy-tale, you would not be surprised to see Rapunzel letting down her hair from the top of one of the towers.

This Medieval castle was founded in the 14th century on sediment deposits along an arm of the Rhine river, and earliest references date back to 1391. The castle originally belonged to the Vande Haar family, but what it looked like when it was first built is unknown. It is known, however, that by the 15th century, the footprint of the castle was a large pentagonal building, and it was the property of the Van Zuylen family, as Josina van de Haar had married Dirk van Zuylen. It was destroyed in 1482 during a quarrel between the Bishop and the city of Utrecht, but the fact that it was rebuilt apparently testifies to the social status of the Van Zuylen family.

The Van Zuylen family originally came from Cleves, in Germany, just across the Dutch border. It was a distant relation, Baron Etienne von Zuylen, who would eventually restore the castle, after it had been abandoned and was ruined for over 200 years.

In 1887, Etienne married Baroness Hélène de Rothschild, which gave him the means to bring his ancestral castle back to life. They employed Pierre Cuypers, the most famous architect in the Netherlands at the time, to not only restore the castle, but also to make it extremely modern and comfortable at the same time. The project took 20 years, from 1892 - 1912, and Cuypers (who also designed Central Station and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam), was involved not only in the architecture of the building, but also the interior and smaller details such as the design of the servants’ uniforms.

Whilst restoring the castle, Cuypers retained the remains of the medieval castle, faithfully using its outline and its original plan. But modern niceties of the day were also included including a lift, hot and cold running water installed in each bedroom and central heating.

The kitchen was also equipped with all the latest gadgets which you can see on your visit.

And the result is stunning. The inner court is three stories high, and has large stained-glass windows to allow the maximum amount of light in. There is a lot of Gothic architecture here, and the large stained glass window shows

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Image: © Rafa.rivero/ CC-BY_SA 4.0

NETHERLANDS

TRAVEL TIPS FOR VISITING DUTCH CASTLES

Many airlines fly to Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, which then provides fast train links to all areas of the Netherlands. There are also flights to Eindhoven airport which serves the south of the country.

You can also reach the Netherlands by ferry between Dover and Calais and then driving, which takes about four hours. See www.dfds.co.uk

GETTING AROUND Many of the castles and country estates can be reached by public transport, although a car makes it very easy. Many of the castles are also on bicycle routes: see www.holland. com/castles and www.fietsnetwerk. nl/castles for more information.

There is also a good flyer on Dutch Castles and Country Houses which includes information on 29 castles and 8 cycle routes.

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THE ESSENTIALS

GETTING THERE

It is also possible to stay in many of the castles and country estates.

Language: The Netherlands’ official Slot Loevestein, for example, language is Dutch but English is has lovely B&B widely spoken. accommodation Electrical current/ available on site.

Did you know? plugs: 220 AC volts.

Other stately Orange is the Netherlands’ Plugs are rounded homes offer national colour because of two-pronged variety. accommodation the house of Orange, such as the Dutch royal line.

Religion: The Hotel Groot The Netherlands has the Netherlands is one Warnsborn, a highest concentration of of the most secular country estate museums in the world. countries in Western set in a 750 ha.

100 years ago the central Europe with only monumental Netherlands still had 39% being religiously forest, but is only sand deserts. affiliated. five minutes from Arnhem.

OPENING TIMES www.grootwarnsborn.nl,

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SLOT LOEVESTEIN November - February: 11.00 am 4.00 pm and March - October: 11.00 am - 5.00 pm. See website for more information: www. slotloevestein. nl/en/ HUIS MIDDACHTEN

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Above the luxurious bedrooms, which are all designed differently, so guests would not think they were in a hotel but in a private residence, on the top floor, can be found the servants’ quarters, complete with a communal sitting room. Washing and ironing was also done at the top of the house, and past staff uniforms, designed by Cuypers, are on display. The castle is surrounded by a formal garden and park and immediately south of the house is the Roman Garden, named after a Roman hippodrome.

My visit to these castles could not have been more interesting and enlightening. But they only scratch the surface for what is on offer. I shall definitely be returning to discover more, including the cycle routes that link many of them too. That’s my idea of a perfect holiday historic visits with a bit of exercise to offset all the fabulous waffles on offer. TT

The gardens are open from May to September: Sunday to Friday: 10.30 am to 4.30 pm Garden tours: Every Sunday in July and August.

From 1.30 p.m.

VISAS

Above: View of the fairy-tale De Haar castle in summer

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Visas are not currently required for citizens of the EU/EEA/Switzerland, and those from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, plus some other countries do not need a visa if visiting for less than 90 days.

For more information check www.government.nl.

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EXTRA INFORMATION

Time difference: GMT + 1

Kasteel de Haar comes complete with turrets, ramparts, drawbridge and a moat and is so fairy-tale, you would not be surprised to see Rapunzel letting down her hair from the top of one of the towers the presentation of the Great Charter in 1375, in which the privileges and immunities of cities, and juridical classes were laid down. The coats of arms of 37 noble families are displayed, as they all witnessed this ‘first constitution’.

The Hall also has a display about the travels that Hélène and Etienne made to the Middle and Far East in the mid 1950s. They bought back many valuable items from their voyages, including 60 antique vases from China and Japan, that date to the Imari, Ming and Khangshi periods. They also bought many items from the London art dealer, Duveen, who specialised in tapestries. They bought three early 16thcentury tapestries in 1894, one of which can now be seen in the Hall, while the other two are in the Banquet Hall. Also on display are Hélène and Etienne’s travel suitcases complete with bottles and manicure sets.

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Castle tours: Every Sunday in July and August at 1.30 pm and 3.00 pm.

In addition, guided tours of the castle can be arranged by appointment for a minimum of 20 people. See www. middachten.nl for more information.

KASTEEL DE HAAR The castle is open every day, 11.00 am - 5.00 pm, Monday to Sunday. The park is open from 9.00 am. For exceptions to this see their website, www.kasteeldehaar.nl for more information.

Hotel Kasteel Kerckebosch has been lovingly restored by its owner, Ingmar Sloothaak. He has restored the main building so far, and will complete the bedrooms in 2020.

The hotel also has a fabulous restaurant, with superb dishes by chef Hans van Triest. For more information see www.kasteelkerckebosch.com Landgoed Rhederoord is another country estate turned hotel. The original house was built in the 18th century, and the house you see today was built in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Willem Reynier Brantsen(1701-1789), was responsible for the landscaping of the gardens and surrounding forests.

Rhederoord also has an exceptional restaurant. See www.rhederoord.nl for more information.

MONEY Currency: The currency in the Netherlands is the Euro (EUR; symbol €) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of €2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.

Credit cards: Major international credit cards such as MasterCard, American Express, Cirrus, Maestro and Visa are widely accepted.

ATMs are found in all towns and cities.

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This article has been reproduced from the Winter 2019 issue of FOR LOVERS OF TRAVEL, ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART

ravels IMELESS

£�.�� • ��$��.�� • ���$��.�� • ���$��.�� • ��$��.��

Winter 2019

Discovering

Art lovers guide to

Japanese Museums

Tutankhamun

Dutch Castles Montgomery, USA

making peace with the past

Treasures come to London

INDIA · JAPAN · NETHERLANDS · POLAND · USA· CANADA · ENGLAND

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