Kasteel de Haar

Kasteel de Haar is the largest and most lavish castle in the Netherlands, and it stands in a huge park at Haarzuilens, a short distance west of Utrecht. Its fairy-tale appearance, with towers, turrets, moats and drawbridges, is deceptive, because the present building is largely a creation of the late nineteenth century. There was a medieval castle here, founded in the fourteenth century, but by the 1800s it had fallen into ruin, and in 1890 it was bought by Baron Etienne van Zuylen van Nijevelt, a member of the family that had owned it long before. He and his wife, Baroness Hélène de Rothschild, commissioned the architect Pierre Cuypers to rebuild it on a grand scale, and the work continued until the early twentieth century.

Cuypers, who also designed the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Centraal Station, was a master of the neo-Gothic style, and he used the old foundations and ruins as the basis for a romantic version of a medieval castle, with every detail carefully designed. Inside, the rooms are decorated with luxury, including tapestries, carved wood, stained glass, paintings and fine furniture from many periods, and the great hall and the dining rooms are particularly impressive. The Van Zuylen family, whose wealth came partly from the Rothschild connection, lived here in style, and the castle was used for lavish parties. Even the village of Haarzuilens was moved a short distance to create a more suitable setting, and a new village was built in a picturesque style.

The gardens and park are an attraction in their own right. They cover a large area of lawns, woods, ponds and formal gardens, including a rose garden and a box-hedge parterre, though parts of the grounds may be closed for maintenance in some periods, so check what is open before you go. The park is attractive for walking, and the castle can be seen from many angles as you stroll, reflected in the water of the moat.

Practical details matter. The castle interior is open on most days at set hours, and tickets must usually be booked online for a time slot, which is wise because it can sell out, particularly in school holidays and on summer weekends. If castle slots are full, garden tickets may still be available. The walk from the car park to the castle takes about twenty minutes, and the castle remains in private ownership, run by a foundation. Utrecht is close, with the Dom Tower, the Oudegracht and the Centraal Museum.

The castle suits families, architecture lovers and those who enjoy romantic settings. Allow two to three hours, and wear comfortable shoes for the walk.