Summer Residence with Magnificent Garden

In 1684, the Governor Willem III and Princess Mary purchased a small castle: Het Oude Loo. Next door, the young couple had a new summer residence built, the Paleis Het Loo. It was the perfect location, as the new castle was situated at a very low point in the midst of the Veluwe, a vast hunting ground. Therefore, it was the ideal place for a castle garden: Water for the flowers and fountains flowed from higher-placed, miles away sources into the garden. Willem and Mary became King and Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland in 1689. As a result, they significantly expanded the Paleis Het Loo – from a modest summer residence to a princely estate.

The garden that Governor Willem and Princess Mary had created was as important as the castle itself. Here, Willem and Mary could display their power and wealth in all its splendor. After all, it was a wonder: a perfectly symmetrical garden full of special plants, flowers, and tall fountains amidst the rough and dry Veluwe.

Today, in the castle gardens of Het Loo, one can travel back 335 years into the past. The garden presents itself just as it was originally laid out by the first residents of Paleis Het Loo, Willem III and Queen Mary.

We did just that and were enchanted by the magnificent gardens and the splendidly renovated interiors today.