Palace Soestdijk, Baarn - Page 2

**Marengo** · #21 04-18-2007, 06:06 AM

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** · #22 04-18-2007, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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

**Marengo** · #23 04-18-2007, 07:44 AM

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** · #24 10-11-2007, 08:37 PM

From expatica:

Quote:

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 · #25 10-12-2007, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marengo

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 · #26 10-12-2007, 05:33 PM

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** · #27 12-09-2007, 05:18 PM

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** · #28 05-31-2008, 03:10 PM

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

**Marengo** · #29 07-24-2008, 06:39 AM

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** · #30 10-09-2008, 06:32 AM

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.

**Stefan** · #31 10-18-2008, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

So will it be longer open to the public then planed? Quiet strange that the had not made plains about what to do with the Place long ago as it was clear that Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard would not live forever.

lucien · #32 10-18-2008, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

So will it be longer open to the public then planed? Quiet strange that the had not made plains about what to do with the Place long ago as it was clear that Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard would not live forever.

No Stefan,it will just be open till the end of 2009,like planned.
Before it can be used either as a Palace,as I hope,or anything else,
the whole place needs a complete overhaul,everything,from the basement to the roof.
Will take at least 4 years if not more.

**Stefan** · #33 10-18-2008, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucien

No Stefan,it will just be open till the end of 2009,like planned.
Before it can be used either as a Palace,as I hope,or anything else,
the whole place needs a complete overhaul,everything,from the basement to the roof.
Will take at least 4 years if not more.

Thanks. I thought only when they still have not a new destination for it that it can perhaps visitd longer. Was it already announced that it will be renovated. You can ofcourse see it on the pictures that tha Palace is in bad shape. I also hope that it will be used as a Palace in the future. Perhaps they could make it like in denmark that either the Queen or WA and Máxima use it for some time in the year and for the other months it is open to the public.

**Marengo** · #34 10-18-2008, 03:20 PM

I don't think that is an option (part-time use), the RF is already under scrutiny for their costs at the moment. The only way they can justify a complete renovation for the RF is when WA and Maxima would go and live there. I don't think they will, the palace is too public and one hour+ away from The Hague.
The government is just clueless about what to do with the building if the RF doesn't want it anymore, personally i wouldn't know what else to do with it either actually, I do hope it will remain property of the state and will have a royal-related or at least state-related function. So no golf resort or conference center svp.

marmi · #35 10-18-2008, 03:36 PM

It would be sad if it was to be sold, and therefore no longer the state's property.

**Stefan** · #36 10-18-2008, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marengo

I don't think that is an option (part-time use), the RF is already under scrutiny for their costs at the moment. The only way they can justify a complete renovation for the RF is when WA and Maxima would go and live there. I don't think they will, the palace is too public and one hour+ away from The Hague.
The government is just clueless about what to do with the building if the RF doesn't want it anymore, personally i wouldn't know what else to do with it either actually, I do hope it will remain property of the state and will have a royal-related or at least state-related function. So no golf resort or conference center svp.

But as Lucien says it has to be renovated anyway. And if it is open to the public it would also bring a little bit money back. The dutch Royal Family does not use many Palaces compared to other Royal Families.

lucien · #37 02-13-2009, 11:46 AM

It was announced today that the Palace will remain open to the public throughout 2010.The Rijksgebouwendienst has not yet decided on the future use of the Palace.Since the opening over 300.000 people have visited the former home of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard.

lucien · #38 02-16-2009, 06:53 AM

It was announced today that the Palace will definitely close its doors for the public after 2010 and will be converted into a scientific institute.

Calls to destine it to be a museum were not answered except that we already have a Museum of the Orange Nassau´s with Het Loo Palace.

Personally,I do not like the solution one bit.The Palace is a place for Royals to return to,not nerds.

lucien · #39 02-27-2009, 05:31 PM

A new,and very extensive (400 pages,50 euro´s),book on Soestdijk Palace and its inhabitants
throughout the centuries was presented today at the Palace.
Pieter van Vollenhoven received the first copy:

PPE Agency

courtesy ppe

lucien · #40 03-02-2009, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucien

A new,and very extensive (400 pages,50 euro´s),book on Soestdijk Palace and its inhabitants
throughout the centuries was presented today at the Palace.
Pieter van Vollenhoven received the first copy:

PPE Agency

courtesy ppe

The "Bible" on Soestdijk Palace,a must have:
http://gpdhome.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8...8a17541970c-pi