Already from quite a distance Marienburg Castle is clearly visible on the Marienberg Hill, about 20 kilometers south of Hannover. It is probably one of the most impressive buildings in Germany. It looks like an old medieval castle, but surprisingly it isn’t. The story behind it is romantic, but at the same time quite a […]
Continue Reading
Tomorrow, Monday 5 June 2017, it is the “Dag van het Kasteel” (Day of the Castle) in the Netherlands. 120 Castles all over the country are participating, organize extra events or exceptionally open their doors. Unfortunately in the Province of Groningen only six castles are open. Nice extra events are being held, but they’re open […]
Continue Reading
In World War II the city of Dresden in Germany was heavily bombed, the most known one in February 1945. More than 6,5km2 of the city centre was destroyed, thousands of people killed. After the war the city was rebuild, parts of the historic inner city reconstructed. Some buildings were only restored in recent years, […]
Continue Reading
Regular visitors of Museum Palace Het Loo in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, and people who would have loved to visit the palace in the coming years will just have to wait or enjoy the outside and the gardens and park, as the palace itself will undergo a major renovation and expansion. The plans by KAAN Architects […]
Continue Reading
Just outside the city of Utrecht, in the middle of the Netherlands, you will find the cute pittoresque village of Oud-Zuilen along the riverside of the Vecht. Before the 13th century only some farmers and fishermen lived on the riverbanks. But the nobility had the marshland cultivated and built stronghouses. The stronghouses later became castles, […]
Continue Reading
There has always been war somewhere in the world. It seems to be difficult to live peacefully together. In the course of the 19th and early 20th century the ideal of peace in the world was heard more and more often. Political and religious tensions around the turn of the century made the peace movement […]
Continue Reading
Some people visit this place only because since 2002 it houses the permanent M.C. Escher exhibition of the Gemeentemuseum The Hague (Netherlands). However not so long ago this was a royal palace. I must admit I had never been here before and always forgot to visit. But on Saturday I had just over an hour […]
Continue Reading
Who sees this tiny castle now wouldn’t think it actually was once a real royal castle. Beverweerd Castle (also Beverweert) on the edge of the village of Werkhoven, Province of Utrecht, The Netherlands, does however have a long history. In the two pictures above on the left you see the castle, on the two pictures […]
Continue Reading
Scotland and London in July 2006 was probably the first vacation I took my digital camera with me, and looking at the rather low amount pictures it is clear that I at the time wasn’t exactly sure how many of them would fit on one memory card. I remember it wasn’t the best day of […]
Continue Reading
Nothing is more beautiful than a castle or palace in the snow. Unfortunately here in the Netherlands there isn’t snow very often and when there is, the public transport can be pretty difficult (and no I don’t have a driving licence). And of course snow is cold, makes walking more difficult … I am a […]
Continue Reading
Remember I was in East Frisia this Summer? I was in Leer, Germany, today, just across the border and finally managed to find one of the four East Frisian castles there: the Haneburg. One of the other castles in Leer looks grander and probably I should give it that one a go in 2017. There […]
Continue Reading
Did you know that East Frisia (Ostfriesland) in Germany once had its own counts from 1464 to 1654, and even its own Fürsten (princes) from 1654 to 1744? Then the Cirksena dynastie became extinct. The last woman died in 1761. Without much trouble the Prussians then claimed East Frisia. In Aurich is the family mausoleum. […]
Continue Reading
The news that the Hall of Orange of Palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague would be exceptionally open from 7 September 2015 to 1 November 2015 was very much welcomed by Dutch royalty-watchers and others who would love to have a look. The Palace must have been open to visitors before, in the 1960s […]
Continue Reading
A week ago I was still in England. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t any better than today: quite a lot of rain. Really a pity, as we had planned a visit to Provender House in Norton near Faversham, Kent, in the afternoon. With about 30 people we were to have a guided tour of the house. […]
Continue Reading