What is now the Royal Palace of Amsterdam (Koninklijk Paleis in Dutch) on the Dam was originally Amsterdam’s town hall.

Royal Palace of Amsterdam History

It had long been intended to replace the existing town hall with one more indicative of Amsterdam’s power and wealth, and many medieval houses were demolished to make way for it.

In 1647 Jacob van Campen designed the monumental building, which was begun in 1648. Daniël Stalpaert was appointed city architect and supervised the building work, taking control of the project when van Campen withdrew in 1654 because of a disagreement with his assistants.

The outbreak of war with England in 1653 imposed financial restrictions on the project, but these were lifted in 1655 when it was decided to carry out the original designs. The front of the building faces the Dam; the ground plan is 80×57.5 m; the height to the top of the dome is 52 m.

The building is a rectangular block with two internal courtyards. Three bays project at each corner, together with the seven central bays of the long façades. The corners are emphasized by transverse roofs. Above the basement are two main floors divided by a horizontal cornice.

Each of the main floors has two levels of windows, defined by a giant order of pilasters, Composite for the lower and Corinthian for the upper level, following Vincenzo Scamozzi’s book of orders Idea dell’architettura universale. The drum and cupola were built in 1664.

The building lacks a grand entrance. The seven small archways in the east front probably symbolize the Seven Provinces. The tribune, where courts were held, is situated behind the middle three. It is unglazed, with open bronze railings, so that the proceedings could be followed from outside. The statues in this room allude to crime, punishment, and justice.

The great hall, also known as the Burgerzaal (Citizens’ Hall), is situated in the middle of the building, flanked by the two courtyards. It is the apotheosis of the building, measuring 34×16.75×28 m. Its height is divided by two rows of pilasters.

Set into the floor are a marble and copper map of the world and a chart of the heavens so that a walk from one end of the hall to the other travels through the universe. The most important rooms were situated in the galleries around the courtyards. Fine sculptures allude to the function of each room.

Although the actual building was completed in 1665, it was several years before all the sculptures and paintings were finished and installed. The sculptures were executed by the Antwerp sculptor Artus Quellinus, whose assistants included Artus Quellinus, Rombout Verhulst, Gabriel Grupello, city mason Willem de Keyser, and Simon Bosboom. Commissions for paintings were given to Govaert Flinck, Jan Lievens, Juriaen Ovens, Ferdinand Bol, Jacob Jordaens, and Thomas de Keyser, among others.

In 1808 the city council was more or less forced to give the Stadhuis to Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland, and Barthold W. H. Ziesenis, the city architect, was presented with the difficult task of converting it into a royal palace. He used partitions to divide the galleries and the Burgerzaal into rooms and concealed much of the symbolism by means of curtains and paneling.

The Neo-classical style of the late 18th century and the early 19th had much in common with that of the 17th century, which is probably why the building had such appeal at the time of its remodeling. The alteration was largely sympathetic, although the fine bronze cross-framed windows were replaced by large modern sash windows.

Rooms were refurbished in a modern style since all the furniture had been transferred to the Prinsenhof. This replacement furniture remains in the palace and forms Holland’s largest collection of Empire furniture.

In 1813 the French left Holland, and William I returned. He gave the building back to the city of Amsterdam, but since the city council did not have the means to redecorate or maintain the enormous building, it was offered again to the King as his official residence in Amsterdam, an arrangement that still continues.

Royal Palace of Amsterdam Location

Address: Dam, 1001 AM Amsterdam, Nederland. Get help with directions:

Royal Palace of Amsterdam Map

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Rosendael is a Dutch castle near Velp, in the province of Gelderland, Rozendaal.

Rosendael Castle History

Constructed around 1300, the stronghold belonged to the counts of Gelder until 1526. The building originally consisted of an irregular four-sided corps de logis with a circular donjon as its southwest corner tower.

The location of this tower on one of the diagonals (as at Flint Castle, built in 1277, in Wales) is unusual in the Netherlands; so, too, is its massive size, acquired when it was rebuilt on the old foundations after a fire in 1412. It is c. 25 m high and 16 m in diameter, with walls ranging in thickness from 1.2 m to 4 m.

Square chambers have been contrived in the thickness of the wall. The donjon formerly was not connected to the Corps de Logis, but it was linked sometime after the rebuilding of 1412. The present Corps de Logis used to be the Barbican, replacing the original Corps de Logis when the latter was destroyed.

The narrow section that joins it to the donjon must have been built after 1512. Rosendale Castle has altered again around 1615, when two residential wings were built, crowned with Gelderland gables and Renaissance decorations; these are joined to the donjon by means of the narrow section.

A lower ward surrounded by a moat served as an ornamental garden. Rozendaal underwent further alterations in the wake of another fire in 1714.

The Gelderland gables were replaced by a new gable, which united the living quarters under a single roof, and a splendid park was laid out, with classical temples and pavilions; the donjon was probably lowered by one story during the same period. Despite its history of rebuilding much of the medieval fabric of Rosendael survives.

The Rosendael Castle now houses a museum, established after the latest restoration of the building and the park, completed in 1990.

Rosendael Castle Location

Address: Kasteel Rosendael, Rosendael 1, 6891 DA Rozendaal, Netherlands

Rosendael Castle Map

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Muiden Castle (Muiderslot) is situated on the River Vecht in the central Netherlands, town of Muiden, built around 1280. It acted as a defense post for the county of Holland, halting the territorial encroachments of the bishops of Utrecht.

Muiden Castle History

Its quadrangular plan, with four corner towers and a fortified entrance, is related to such castles as Harlech, built by Edward I of England, and to the bastions built in France during the reign of Philipp II Augustus (1180–1223).

Like the older type with a donjon, this variety did not appear in the Netherlands until after 1250. Floris V, Count of Holland (1256–96), the patron of the castle, was influenced by the ideas of Edward I, with whom he was intimately associated, but Muiden also shows significant French influence.

The brick-built castle measures 32×35 m. Of the four corner towers the western tower, the highest, is the least effective defensively as it is the least projecting. The south tower, the watch tower, is oval in shape and therefore the strongest.

The tower walls are up to 1.5 m thick. The gateway in the middle of the east wall has machicolation with three murder holes, and the walls on the landward side have wall walks and crenellations. The west wallwalk was restored in the 19th century. The domestic quarters, a large hall, and three smaller rooms are located on the protected riverside to the northwest and northeast.

The Muiden Castle underwent long periods of neglect, and its building history is uncertain. It was probably begun between 1280 and 1284, but it may well have been razed by the Bishop of Utrecht in or shortly after 1296 when Count Floris V was murdered.

Excavation has shown that the foundations date from the late 13th century but that the walls date from after 1350; this tallies with its disappearance from written sources from 1296 until after 1364. Builders’ accounts from 1373 show that rebuilding was going on at this time. The reconstruction took place in stages.

The walls, corner towers, the gate-tower, and the large hall were built first; the rooms on the east side were added c. 1385; the fortifications at the entrance in 1476. The castle was also used as a state prison, but this did not prevent the States-General from neglecting it so the caretakers were regularly obliged to beg for money to maintain the fabric.

In the early 19th century the castle ceased to have an official function, but although it became extremely dilapidated the state did not grant any money for restoration until 1863. The first restoration period (1895–1909) was originally supervised by P. J. H. Cuypers and later by J. W. H. Berden.

The latter, in particular, believed that the building must conform to the idealized image of a medieval castle, so many post-1500 features were destroyed, including the entrance portal giving on to the courtyard, which had been built between 1609 and 1647, when the castle caretaker was P. C. Hooft, the poet, and historian.

The portal was, however, restored during the second period (1956–1972), when many architectural details from both before and after 1500 were returned as close as possible to their original state, in an attempt to do justice to all the castle’s architectural phases.

Muiden Castle is now a museum.

Muiden Castle Map

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Warmond Castle (Huis te Warmond) is a Dutch 18th-century manor house near Warmond in the province of South Holland. It was constructed on the site of fortifications dating from 1250, incorporating traces of medieval architecture.

Warmond Castle History

The original timber structures were replaced by buildings that were subsequently damaged by fire in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries and rebuilt each time on the old foundations.

A 16th-century drawing makes it possible to reconstruct the medieval original when the castle consisted of a square ground plan of four wings and four corner towers set around an interior court, the whole surrounded by a moat.

The living quarters were in the north and east wings. The massive west tower was once assumed to have been the keep, but the thickness of its walls and its dimensions are too small for this purpose. In 1629 the castle was given a new entrance range by Salomon de Bray, featuring pilasters and a broad pediment.

The south tower, originally octagonal, was replaced by a square one after 1650. Owing to the various rebuilding projects, Warmond acquired an irregular character in the course of the centuries. In 1780 the castle was extensively rebuilt. Floor levels and the proportions of the rooms were altered, and the walls were stuccoed. Medieval remains were hidden by new walls and plasterwork; de Bray’s additions disappeared.

Warmond Castle Location

Address: Huis te Warmond, Herenweg 141, 2361 EP Warmond, Netherlands. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Warmond Castle Map

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Huis ten Bosch is a Dutch Royal Palace located in Hague.

Huis ten Bosch History

Early in 1645 Pieter Post, the newly appointed court architect, was asked to design a house for Princess Amalia von Solms, wife of Prince Frederick Henry, and a few months later she received permission from the States of Holland to use land on the east side of the Hague forest.

In September, of the same year the first stone of the Huis ten Bosch was laid. Situated in the former domains of the Counts of Holland, it was developed according to different criteria from the country houses built outside of The Hague by the Prince himself.

Huis ten Bosch has a compact, centralized design based on Italian models. Two suites of apartments are balanced symmetrically around a central hall, the Oranjezaal (Orange Hall), which rises through three floors and is crowned by an octagonal cupola.

The single-story entrance porch, approached up a long flight of steps and surmounted by a balustraded balcony, stands proud of the main structure. The Oranjezaal was originally planned as an official reception room, but this changed drastically after Frederick Henry’s sudden death in 1647.

His widow decided to dedicate the central hall to the glorious memory of her husband and invited Constantijn Huygens to develop a learned program of paintings to celebrate the heroic deeds of the Prince and propagate the dynastic claims of the Orange Nassau family. The cycle was intended to be akin to that previously commissioned by Charles I in Whitehall Palace, London.

The decorative scheme of the Oranjezaal, coordinated and partly executed by Jacob van Campen, was arranged in four parts. On entering the hall, the visitor sees the largest scene, the Triumph of Prince Frederick Henry by Jacob Jordaens, accompanied by allegories of peace. Jordaens represented the Apotheosis of the Prince above the main scene symbolizing his military success.

Opposite, above the entrance, are panels allegorizing the Birth of the Prince and the new era of cultural excellence and military supremacy that it heralded. On the two sides of the hall, the two main aspects of the Prince’s life are illustrated: his public role as a general and statesman and his private role as a husband and father. The paintings were executed by a team of artists under van Campen’s supervision.

Between 1734 and 1737 Huis ten Bosch Palace was substantially enlarged for Stadholder William IV, through the addition of side wings designed by Daniel Marot I. Later it was completely restored (1977–1981) to serve as a residence for Queen Beatrix and her family.

Huis ten Bosch Map

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Groeneveld Castle is famous for its park, art, exhibitions, and concerts.

Groeneveld Castle History

Castle Groeneveld was built around 1710. Originally it was surrounded by gardens laid out in the French style but these were redesigned in the eighteenth century to form an English landscape park.

The park at Castle Groeneveld still ranks as one of the most beautiful in Holland. Since 1981, Castle Groeneveld has been home to the National Center for Woodland, Wildlife, and Landscape.

Groeneveld Castle Visitor Info

Temporary and permanent exhibits on forests, nature, and landscapes are held in the castle. There are also art exhibits in the castle and in the garden. Castle concerts are held on a regular basis.

Groeneveld Castle Tours
Groeneveld Castle organizes various educational programs, walking routes, and tours led by the forest ranger. There is a beautiful park with a flower garden, and also a restaurant with a terrace.

Groeneveld Castle Location

Address: Kasteel Groeneveld, Groeneveld 2, 3744 ML Baarn, Netherlands. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Groeneveld Castle Map

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Breda Castle is located in North Brabant, Netherlands. It is one of the first examples of monumental Renaissance architecture in the Netherlands, constructed at a time (the 1530s) when large buildings there were still dominated by the Late Gothic style from Brabant.

Breda Castle History

A fortress had stood on the site since the 13th century. In 1515–21 Count Henry III of Nassau (1483–1538) commissioned a gallery on the curtain wall and a portal, both with ornate pediments, which was the first known piece of Renaissance architecture in the Netherlands.

In 1536 Henry initiated more thoroughgoing alterations, with the intention of replacing the Gothic castle with a modern palace. The design comprised a rectangular layout around a large courtyard overlooked by an arcade.

From the courtyard, a stately, covered double staircase led to the double-height great hall on the first floor, which occupied the entire west wing. The ground floor below this hall was originally an open hall of columns. This design was finally completed in 1686 when the medieval wing to the south was replaced.

Count Henry consulted the Italian artist Tommaso Vincidor on the design. Vincidor had been working in Antwerp since 1520, supervising the manufacture of tapestries to designs by Raphael, and he is recorded at Breda in 1534. This may account for the fact that the overall impression of the inner court is Italian or Spanish, with the classical superimposition of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders.

There were, however, various clumsy details in the use of classical features. The ground-floor arcade displayed classical tondi in the spandrels. The frieze and triglyphs, however, were positioned with unclassical proportions.

The first floor has a series of Ionic pilasters, which have brackets placed between the capitals and the entablature, a device taken from timber construction, which seems unnecessary here. The second floor had until extensive restoration work was carried out in 1826, Corinthian half-columns, again with brackets above the capitals.

Over all the windows of this top floor were ornamental gables with spiral scrolls and angels’ heads. This linked series of gables seems French rather than Italian in inspiration.

Breda Castle Location

Address: Kasteelplein 10, 4811 XC Breda, Netherlands. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Breda Castle Map

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Amerongen Castle History

The Amerongen Castle was built in 1286. Originally it comprised of a wooden donjon, but later it was made of stone.

It houses an exceptionally rich collection of furniture, paintings, wall tapestries, books, porcelain, and glasswork from the 17th through to the 20th century. In the kitchen, hall, library, grand hall, dining room, and bedroom the layout has remained intact since the departure of the last inhabitants.

The 12-meter-high gallery with many family portraits is spectacular. The dining hall and gallery have been redecorated by the famous architect P.J.H. Cuypers.

The park and gardens at Amerongen
The park and gardens are open to the public so that a visit to the castle can be easily combined with a walk along the borders, the rosarium, a children’s house, and beautiful trees, including a 300-year-old oak.

Amerongen Castle Visitor Info

Opening Times

The Castle is open from Thursday – Sunday between 11.00 – 17.00*

• From November to March, the Castle has closed also every Wednesday.
  The castle is closed for the Winter holidays: Christmas Day and New Year.
  Ticket Info*:

Adult ticket: € 12.50
Senior ticket (65 +) € 10,00
€ 6,00 13 t / m 18 years CJP, Culture Card, Student
Group ticket for secondary school children: € 5.00 (excluding support costs and materials)
Family ticket (2 adults + 2 children under 18 years) € 25,00
*These entry fees include a visit to the upper garden.

Official website info: kasteelamerongen.nl

Castle Amerongen Location

Address: Kasteel Amerongen, Drostestraat 20, 3958 BK Amerongen, Netherland. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Castle Amerongen Map

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