Castle de Haar, Gothic Revival castle in Haarzuilens, Netherlands
Kasteel de Haar is a Gothic Revival castle in Haarzuilens near Utrecht, Netherlands, protected as an architectural ensemble and Rijksmonument. The building holds around 200 rooms across multiple floors, including galleries with wood carvings, halls with fireplaces and chambers furnished with pieces from the Rothschild collection.
An initial fortress stood here from 1391, before Baron van Zuylen van Nijevelt commissioned architect Pierre Cuypers to rebuild the present castle between 1892 and 1912. The construction work fundamentally reshaped the surrounding landscape and created a large park with new waterways and avenues.
The name recalls a medieval forest district, while today's interiors with heavy oak cabinets, woven wall hangings and porcelain collections show how wealthy Dutch noble families lived around 1900. Visitors still see the private chambers, drawing rooms and dining halls that recreate the daily life of an aristocratic household from more than a century ago.
Multiple floors are open for visits, with guided tours through furnished rooms with original fittings making access easier. The route covers living quarters, reception halls and service areas that offer insight into aristocratic life.
The construction required transplanting around 7000 mature trees from other parts of Utrecht to lay out the surrounding park. Even the village of Haarzuilens was moved to a new site so the landscape garden could take shape according to the architect's design.
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