Palace Soestdijk, Baarn


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The palace is empty except for some state rooms. Often the ameublement in these rooms were complement with the rest of the interior, so that is why these rooms are still intact.

For the rest the palace looks good on the surface but is technically completely out of date. Everything, from the wiring to the piping, from the heating to the kitchen equipment, from the sanitary to the lighting scheme, everything dates from the last major renovation in the 1930's and the whole building needs to be updated from cellar to rooftop.

Also the state rooms need major renovations: the wallhangings, large paintings, the guilded doors, the chandeliers and candelabras, the marble floors, everything needs restoration and maintenance. Not so strange for a building so intensively used as a family home and a crowded palace for 70 years. See aerial picture.
 
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Minister B;lok of Housing has asked people to come up with serious and creative proposals about the future of Soestdijk palace. He has 100.000 euros available to study the 3 or 4 most serious ones.

A comittee has advioced the minister to make such an appeal. They also say that the discussion is urgent. The sollution needs to be 'economically sustainable'. The building and the estate will remain together. Most of the complex needs to be restored and the main building will need to stay open to the public.

Blok: kom met voorstellen voor Soestdijk | NOS
 
Sometimes on diverse royal forums I read a plea for Soestdijk being restored and given in royal use again. Until Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard became the inhabitants, the palace has always been used as a summer residence, as a pied-à-terre.

Now in 2015, with all modern transportation available, there is no need for another royal residence. Yes, it would be charming when the Court would use the Royal Palace Amsterdam, Noordeinde, Huis ten Bosch, Soestdijk, Het Loo and the Stadtholderly Court but it is really not the era of three first Kings anymore, when horsedrawn carriages were the main means of transportation.

I have read a suggestion to make a Museum Of The 19th Century, with the palace restored in splendid state and underground floors added for exhibiting the museal collections.

An example: the 17th C Mauritshuis (former palace for Prince Maurits of Nassau-Siegen)

The extension under the 17th C Mauritshuis (this is the foyer leading to the various underground galleries). The modern extension doubled the space of the original 17th C house and nothing can be seen from outside. Wonderfully done.
 
The Rijksvastgoedbedrijf (Kingdom's Real Estate Agency) has given four options to be studied further for the future of Soestdijk Palace:

1
Soestdijk Palace will be restored and the extended domain will be transferred into a sort of Dutch version of The Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew

2
Soestdijk Palace will be restored and becomes a meet-and-greet for "The Netherlands Incorporated": a center for trade missions, symposiums on innovation, for exhibitions and to host parts of State Visit program schemes.

3
Soestdijk Palace will be restored but outside in the park pavillions will be created and the domain will become a sort of "Made In Holland" to show the creativity, strength and innovativeness of the Dutch trade and industry.

4
Soestdijk Palace will be restored and will represent the past. A "House of the Future" will be build in the park. So the past, the present and the future will be connected together.

Each plan has been given 100.000 Euro to work it out in more details. Next year the Rijksvastgoedbedrijf will review the four plans and make a nomination for the Cabinet to decide about the future of Soestdijk Palace and the domains.

Option 1 (Soestdijk Palace restored and the gardens become a sort of Kew Gardens) has topped above the other three options in the various online polls of newspapers.
 
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I do like the first idea but it will be interesting to see what decision is made in the new year.
 
Here are some nice photos of the facade and gardens of the Soestdijk Palace.

PPE Agency
 
Dear old Soestdijk Palace will be a hotel, 14 rooms on the 1st floor anyway,after extensive renovations by the new owner.

Good,better then a conference center or worse.The park will remain intact
and the Woods behind the palace will be disclosed to the public.

At the site of the barracks of the Royal Constabulary Force 65 semi-detached houses will be build after 2020 when the barracks close.
 
It is a pity that in Sweden and Denmark, much smaller nations (in terms of population) the state manages to keep a number of residences, while in the Netherlands the state seems to want to get rid of every "empty" royal residence.

Denmark
Amalienborg (official residence)
Fredensborg Slot (private residence in spring and autumn)
Gråsten Slot (private residence in summer)
Marselisborg Slot (private residence in summer)
Christiansborg Slot (representation)
Eremitageslottet (representation)
Frederiksborg Slot (museal destination)
Rosenborg Slot (museal destination)
Sorgenfri Slot (at the moment not in use)

Netherlands
Koninklijk Paleis (representation)
Paleis Noordeinde (official residence)
Paleis Huis ten Bosch (private residence)
Paleis Het Loo (museal destination / representation)
Kasteel Het Oude Loo (private residence in weekends)

Sweden
Kungliga slottet (official residence)
Drottningholms slott (private residence)
Gripsholms slott (museal destination)
Gustav III:s paviljong (museal destination)
Rosendals slott (museal destination)
Rosersbergs slott (museal destination)
Strömsholms slott (centre for horses / museal destination)
Tullgarns slott (museal destination)
Ulriksdals slott (museal destination)
 
Such a shame that they decided to sell the Palace. Why was it not keept as a Museum and open to the Public. When i visited it several years ago there was quiet a number of people there.
 
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Stefan said:
Such a shame that they decided to sell the Palace. Why was it not keept as a Museum and open to the Public. When i visited it several years ago there was quiet a number of people there.
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No,not another Museum.We already have Het Loo Palace for that,plus the Royal Palace Amsterdam is open to the public if not in use for a function,that will do perfectly.Old sentiments alone can't keep up maintanance of a building that hasn't seen a plumber in over 70 years or more.No,this is the best option.
 
lucien said:
No,not another Museum.We already have Het Loo Palace for that,plus the Royal Palace Amsterdam is open to the public if not in use for a function,that will do perfectly.Old sentiments alone can't keep up maintanance of a building that hasn't seen a plumber in over 70 years or more.No,this is the best option.
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The Swedes and the Danes manage it perfectly with all those many royal residences. It is again the Dutch slashing national patrimonium. Even the Spaniards keep more royal residences in running than the wealthy Dutch.
 
When loking at this Thread i notice that sometimes it was discussd to make a Botanical Garden out of the Park surrounding the Place. What has become of this Idea? Why did they not continue with this? Then they could have let the State Rooms of the Palace like they where and keept them open for the Public.
 
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lucien said:
No,not another Museum.We already have Het Loo Palace for that,plus the Royal Palace Amsterdam is open to the public if not in use for a function,that will do perfectly.Old sentiments alone can't keep up maintanance of a building that hasn't seen a plumber in over 70 years or more.No,this is the best option.
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Why not. In Germany most of the Castles of the former reigning Families are keept as Museum and there are also Tours through them. Thy are usually managed by the federal States but lot of the cAstles speciall in former DDR also had to undergo heavily renovatuions as nut much has been done at them during the time after the War. In most causes renovations only started after 1990.
 
I believe the renovation will cost at least 100 million euros.
The palace will be exploited by the same people who revamped Amsterdam's Westerpark area; which went from a wasteland to a successful place for events and relaxation.

I agree that it is a great pity they could not restore the palace and leave it to the RF. However, it was the RF who showed no interest in the palace at all. Much of the furniture has been moved to Amsterdam's Royal palace.

It could have been nice to have the place restored and give it a temporary function until the Crown Princess starts a family. As it is there are no vacant houses in the family where she can live, unless she takes on her parents villa.

Economic liberalization in the cultural sector made sure that are museums need to organize a lot of events etc. to stay afloat. This led to many museums ' dumbing down' there content and changing it in almost an amusement park. The Amsterdam Historical museum and the Amsterdam Shipping museum being terrible examples of this. Palace Het Loo had difficulties staying financially afloat and tried to survive with blockbuster exhibitions such as about Grace Kelly -which is not related to the Dutch RF in any way or form.

To have another palace opened to the public is financially impossible with the present philosophy about these matters. Especially as the state want 3rd parties to bear most of the costs for a renovation.
 
I have more respect for non-reigning and noble families who put all efforts in preserving their patrimonium, think about the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburgs, the De Lannoys, the Von Lippes, the Van Limburg-Stirums, name them all. The Orange-Nassaus own not one single brickstone anymore from their historical patrimonium. The only "safeguard" is that the Royal Domains at Het Loo were donated to the state on condition of a return or compensation in case of an end to the monarchy, but this does not include the palace, which only becomes more and more unfit to serve as a private house when all those megalomane plans for underground extensions et al are materialized. Possibly we will see the private family Van Oranje-Nassau van Amsberg living at that mediaeval Het Oude Loo castle (bought back or given by/from the state in an arrangement with the return of the Royal Domains) in the Republic of the Netherlands, with other private domains at Drakensteyn and in Wassenaar, which is not too bad, I admit, but still...

No. Hats off for Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, for the late Richard zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, for the late Armin zur Lippe, for all those with a zest to preserve and continue the family heritage. Look at them. Those Oranges. In their Wassenaar and Apeldoorn villa's. Look at her, the former Queen, provided with a costly pied-à-terre by the state. Where is the family pride, the awareness of history, the involvement in keeping what all those generations before them have assembled?

:-(
 
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Since yesterday Soestdijk palace is no longer property of the Dutch state. Minister Raymond Knops signed the transfer of the palace to a property developer.

The property developer will make a plan for the future of the palace. What is known is that the palace will mainly be used for exhibitions and presentations about innovative developments.

And thus the 343 years of royal history of the building has come to an end.
 
The Province Utrecht has refused permission to the enterprise behind the former royal domain and palace Soestdijk in Baarn, Utrecht.

To finance the exploitation of the palace, the enterprise wanted to construct luxury houses in the ancient forest on the palace domain. See plan below. The Province thought this was an unacceptable act in a culture-historical valuable landscap: since the construction of the palace in 1674 by Willem III of Nassau, Prince of Orange, the forest on the domain has remained intact.

The enterprise which bought the domain and the palace stated that without these houses they can not have a sufficient yield on their investment. The Province only allows the former barracks of the Royal Marechaussee to be demolished and that plot of land can be developed.

This setback for the enterprise probably means they will return Soestdijk Palace and the domain to the State, which can donate it to Natuurmonumenten or something, making the nature the primary feature of the domain. The Province is not only afraid to loose valuable nature: it is also afraid to set a precedent for other beautiful historic domains in the rest if the province.

Pic of the plans to develop houses: https://images2.persgroep.net/rcs/P...=21791a8992982cd8da851550a453bd7f&quality=0.9

The former barracks of the Royal Marechaussee in front of the palace is the only allowed development:
https://soestercourant.nl/sites/def...4384f2.jpg?itok=sjXiTI19&timestamp=1567775963

The barracks in front and behind the lush forest.
https://baarnschecourant.nl/sites/d...6f03fe.jpg?itok=tklveN4R&timestamp=1572531829
 
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I would like to see the white stucco removed, to be brought back in original brickstones, like was done with Het Loo Palace. Problem is that Soestdijk has been cluttered (at the backside) with later extensions, not in the same brickstones. But the front façade could be back in original Dutch classicist style instead of that white plastered white mansion in an English landscape garden, created by the Prince of Orange (later King Willem II) for his wife Anna Pavlovna Romanova, Grand-Princess of Russia.

I can understand it when they leave it plastered as the palace is a dedication to Willem II and this simply is how it was in his era, complete with the Empire ameublement and the themed salons (Louvain Chamber, Waterloo Chamber, etc.) from his era.
 
Why is this palace not listed on the royal house's website?
 
Marengo said:
On Wednesday a plan of the restauration of Soestdijk palace & estate has been published as an online book:

https://www.paleissoestdijk.nl/brochures/iconisch-monument-in-transitie/

The plan is titled: Soestdijk Palace - An iconic monument in transition
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The Council of State made its point regarding the palace today.

And thank goodness the plan was wiped off the table after protests by several organisations!!Good,we will not have a botox queen destroy what is a national treasure.That gawdawfull woman that thinks she has a say in what is not for her sort.I do hope it doesn´t show too much what an ulcer that woman is in my humble opinion.Anyway,she lost her case!!Yeah!

The Councill of State didn´t think the plans fit for that environment,building a hotel and appartments on the premises.The very idea...plus,plus a substantial part of the park and forest would have to be removed.

It is known that the three Princesses,Beatrix,Irene and Margriet always were vehemently against plans for hotel and appartments and most of all the destruction of park and forest.

Events were planned in future,but as far as events are concerned the Council didn´t seem it safe enough trafficwise,a.o..
Good!

Good! Happy the plans are gone.The present owner,aforesaid...uhh...queen feels sorry she can not renovate the palace now...Well,renovate yourself first and keep your hands off the palace.
 
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Was there ever any news on how much it was sold for? I assume it was away out of the means of the RF or a trust acting for it to take it on.
 
tommy100 said:
Was there ever any news on how much it was sold for? I assume it was away out of the means of the RF or a trust acting for it to take it on.
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1.7 million. It was considered a symbolic sum: 10 cents for each inhabitant of the Netherlands.

The company who bought it was supposed to invest 100 million but it never came to fruition as it included a plan to build 98 houses (which would raise most of the money that was needed) but they never got the permits to do so. They created new plans but as was pointed out by lucien, these plans have now been blocked as well.
 
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Was it ever disclosed why the royal family decided to sell the palace?
 
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