Backershagen, Historic estate in Wassenaar, Netherlands.
Backershagen is an estate in Wassenaar with sprawling green grounds, formal gardens, water features, and various parkland sections created in different periods. The property includes an artificial grotto, a mansion, and several garden types that developed over roughly three centuries.
The mansion was built in 1726 by Cornelis Backer and Maria Clara van der Hagen next to an older farmhouse from the 15th century. The estate grew over the centuries through redesigns that reflected changing tastes and garden trends.
The grounds show how Dutch landowners changed their ideas about garden design over the centuries. You can see this in different sections: from neat, geometric patterns to freely arranged landscape parks that look like natural nature.
You can enter through an iron gate by the bridge near Rijnlands Lyceum along Backershagenlaan street. It helps to check opening hours and any access rules beforehand, as the property is a protected heritage site.
Hidden beneath one of the hills is an artificial grotto built in 1775 to look like a crumbling ruin. Such underground structures were a favored feature of luxury gardens in that era, where visitors could stumble upon unexpected surprises.
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