Palace Soestdijk, Baarn

[Tina]

Paleis Soestdijk - Baarn

 

[Marengo]

The Present & Future Use of Palace Soestdijk

I hope that Maxima and Willem-Alexander will be living there. It is such a wonderful palace! But an expensive restoration in order to reside the cronwprince and princess is out of the question I think. They just settled in Wassenaar (which was quite expensive as well) and it would be more practical for them to live near The Hague.
Anyway, if I had my way they would move in and Constantijn and Laurentien could use the villa in Wassenaar?

 

[Isabel]

I hope that Maxima and Willem-Alexander will be living there. It is such a wonderfull, warm palace! But a expensive restoration in order to reside the cronwprince and princess is out of the question I think, they just settled in Wassenaar (which was quite expensive as well) and it would be more practical for them to live near The Hague.
Anyway, if I had my way they would move in and Constantijn and Laurentien could use the villa in Wassenaar?
I hope and think that Her Majesty will not allow the palace where she spent her childhood, the familyhome etc will be turned into a museum. Soestdijk is the most 'private' palace the royal family has.

I hope that members of the family of could live there and allow certain areas to be open to the public during certain times of the year as a museum. I think that the Windsors do that with one of their estates.

 

[Marengo]

The Present & Future Use of Palace Soestdijk

Today minister Sybilla Dekker will announce what will be done with Palace Soestdijk in the future. The goverment has decided on friday in the cabinetmeeting about this matter. The family owned it since 1674 (bought by stadholder Willem III), in 1971 Juliana and Bernhard sold the palace to the state.

Article in dutch:
http://www.ad.nl/cultuurenshow/article294238.ece

 

[Marengo]

About Soestdijk: the minister announced that the palace will be open for the public the next 3 years. For 12,5 euros you can visit it. It is not clear what will happen to the palace afterwards, the RF has made it clear they do NOT want to live there or use it as a building for guests
What a waste....

 

[purple_platinum]

Here's couple of pictures from ANP (by Cows Suyk) :

24-04-2006
SOESTDIJK - Minister Karla Peijs of VROM as a broker for Soestdijk Palace. The palace has not been sold, but will be open the coming three year for public. The former home of Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard can be visited under accompaniment. Also lovers can look at the gardens around the palace. To expectation, the palace will open its doors in the fall.



SOESTDIJK - The floor plan stands indicated which are will be shortly open for public in Soestdijk Palace.

 

[Marengo]

I read yesterday in ´Metro´ that Palace Soestdijk is the most likely building where the goverment will locate the ´National Museum´.
Under the circumstances one of the best destinations possible for the palace IMO.

 

[Janevlierd]

Dear Marengo, this National Museum wil not be located in Palace Soestdijk, but in The Hague.

 

[Marengo]

From ANP, some pictures:

 

[Marengo]

From ANP, study of Prince Bernhard:

Kitchen and a room with presents for Beatrix & Claus:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd299/Jan-Maarten2/3060817.jpg

 

[Marengo]

From ANP:

Sidestairs & the outside:

Glass corridor:

 

[Marengo]

Well, that is what the newspaper said. I believe there are still more cities competing for the museum btw, but it would be an appropriate role for Soestdijk, if it would never be used as a palace again.

 

[Marengo]

I have rediscovered the Alexanderpalace again: http://forum.alexanderpalace.org and came across several great pictures of Dutch palaces, some of which I will repost here.

The pictures were originally posted by their fellowposter Thijs and come from his own collection of books, most probably form the series 'In Naam van Oranje'.

Here pictures of Soestdijk Palace, Baarn.

Main Hall of Soestdijk Palace, not the portrait of Prince Bernhard on the right:

:

Another picture of the hall, with a portrait of Queen Emma:

And another one, with on the right a painting of Prince Hendrik 'the navigator', son of King Willem III:

And the last one of this hall:

 

[Marengo]

More rooms of Soestdijk palace (again as posted by Thijs on the Alexanderpalace forum):

 

[Marengo]

And even more, again by Thijs on the Alexanderpalace forum:

The Louvain salon, with on the background the future King Willem II.

The white dining room:

and more, the lady on the portrait was identified on the Alexanderpalace forum as Queen WIlhelmina, wife of King Willem I:

 

[Marengo]

And more from Soestdijk Palce, still from Thijs of the Alexanderpalace forum.

and more:

another one:

and still one more:

 

[Marengo]

Backview of Soestdijk palace, again posted by Thijs on the Alexanderpalace forums.

 

[Marengo]

Soestdijk Palace will be opened to the public in a few months. It is possible to book your tickets online (and read about the history of the palace to) on:

www.paleissoestdijk.nl

 

[Marengo]

A few weeks ago Palace Soestdijk was opened to the public and presented to the press. No pictures of that were posted here so I went to ANP and selected these pictures.

Outside & grarden:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd29.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd32.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd10.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd9.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd8.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd7.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd6.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd5.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd4.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd3.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd2.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd1.jpg

Grave of dog Toto:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd12.jpg

 

[Marengo]

The interior, also ANP:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd31.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd30.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd28.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd27.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd26.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd23.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd22.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd21.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd19.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd18.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd17.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd14.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd13.jpg

The weaponroom. The cannons were originally turned inside, but after the Lockheed affair either Juliana or Bernhard ordered them to be turned to the outside. Queen Juliana used this room for reunions with her student yearclub:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd20.jpg

Queen Emma used a shorter chair when she dined in the white dining room as she had short legs. To see the difference the chair was marked with a crowned 'E':
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd24.jpg

Winecellar:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd16.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd15.jpg

Private diningroom. The only person who dined here, outside the circle of family and friends was HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f50/Jan-Maarten/soestd25.jpg

 

[Marengo]

The visits to Palace Soestdijk are rather p[opular. Today I read an article about the palace in sevberal newspapers. Already over 35.000 people visited the palace and apparently there is a waiting list if you want a tour (you can enroll on the website). For April, May and June all guided tours are fully 'booked'. The problem is that they can only do 25 tours a day of +/- 15 people, so hence the waiting.

 

[Stefan]

The visits to Palace Soestdijk are rather p[opular. Today I read an article about the palace in sevberal newspapers. Already over 35.000 people visited the palace and apparently there is a waiting list if you want a tour (you can enroll on the website). For April, May and June all guided tours are fully 'booked'. The problem is that they can only do 25 tours a day of +/- 15 people, so hence the waiting.

Are the guided Tour only in dutch or are there also Tours in english ??

 

[Marengo]

I think they are all in Dutch. The website is all in Dutch anyway and it doesn't have any information on the language of tours. But if you want to be sure you can e-mail theminfo@paleissoestdijk.nl

 

[Marengo]

From expatica:

Soestdijk welcomes 100,000th visitor

10 October 2007
BAARN – Soestdijk Palace welcomed the 100,000th visitor on Wednesday. The foundation promoting the opening of palace to the public has announced this. The former residence of Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard was opened to the public on 15 December 2006, not yet 300 days ago.

Read the entire article here.

So did any of our members visit the Palace? A friend of mine went there and was terribly disappointed, everything was much smaller than he expected and in a poor state.

 

[lucien]

From expatica:



Read the entire article here.

So did any of our members visit the Palace? A friend of mine went there and was terribly disappointed, everything was much smaller than he expected and in a poor state.

I was there last december,before the opening.Allthough it is slightly smaller then one might think,it certainly isn't in a poor state.at all.It is just that all personal belongings have been removed by the family,so that leaves some rooms halve furnished while in others you can see where the paintings hung,or the odd boar/deer ( at the end of the gallery of the Soest wing).What is left still gives a good view into the once teaming with life Palace.If you expect too much,like always,you will be disappointed.

The garden/park is wonderfull,could dwell there for hours,which I did/do.The only things in poor state are the youngsters serving refreshments in the former Orangerie,they look as if they've not quite understood that putting one foot for the other makes one move faster,still waiting for my "Anna Pavlovna" complet,haven't got a clue what it is,yet.

The gift-shop in the old water tower is well-stocked and has some gems,or rather had,until I saw them....

 

[lucien]

http://www.royalblog.nl/

Courtesy HJA.

Soestdijk Palace as it is now.

Onder;" Laatste Berichten" on the right,see "Honderdduizendste bezoeker Soestdijk".

Hans wrote that article you'll find almost a year ago and made the accompanying pics of how the Palace,or much of it,looks today.

 

[Marengo]

Childrens programme ´Klokhuis´ went to Soestdijk palace, where they made a report about the palace and gardens which we can see here (and some nice clips of the royals too).

Courtesy: ATR

 

[Marengo]

A large picture of the white dining room of Soestdijk Palace, from the ministairy of VROM, click here.

 

[Marengo]

Villa Vogelhof near palace Soestdijk that was the property of Prince Bernhard has been sold for 1,5 million euros to Ruud Bakhuizen (no 78 in the list of richest dutch people according to quote magazine). The profits will be shared among the 4 legal daughters only, the other two were already 'bought out'.
The villa used to house Mme Cocky Gilles, the private secretary of prince Bernhard.

source: www.royalblog.nl

 

[Marengo]

The goverment still has not found another destination for Soestdijk Palace. The Prime Minister said that in a debate in parlament. The goverment kept postponing it since Dec. 2006 ansd it seems they will keep doing so for the time being.