Yesterday in the weekly program Blauw Bloed, there was an item about Kneuterdijk Palace. King Willem I purchased the palace for his son, the Prince of Orange and his daughter-in-law Anna Pavlovna Romanova, Grand Duchess of Russia. A costly renovation followed and -there is nothing new under the sun- the costs exploded, but in the end an exceptionally tasteful, comfortable and good-looking palace was the result.
Kneuterdijk Palace has been restored in the last years, to house the Council of State (of which the King is the formal chair). The Council of State is the obligatory adviser which has to be heard about every Bill and is also the highest Court of Administration in the Netherlands. It struck me how immensely spic-and-span the palace looked. I like it that the Dutch have such an eye for their patrimonium.
Like Noordeinde Palace, also
Kneuterdijk Palace has the strange effect that it looks very small in front but is way bigger than you would expect: the complex
expands in the streetblock behind. Some nice interiors: the
Stucco Hall with modern lightplan and impressive copper entrance doors, the
Gothic Hall, a
former salon with modern wallhangings and lightornaments, a
former gallery now serving as an office for the Council of State, the
garden hallway with modern wallhangings and light ornaments, etc.