Page 48 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

46 EUROPE Het Loo Palace, Apeldoorn

Stadtholder William Ill, the future king of England, built the
WORTH
SEA magnificent Het Loo Palace, regarded as the "Versailles of the
Netherlands," as a royal hunting lodge in the 17th century.
Generations of the House of Orange used the lodge as a
Amst9'rdam•
o HET L\)'0 PALACE, summer palace. The main architect was Jacob Roman
The Hague. APEL<DOORN
THE ( 1640-1 716); the interior decoration and garden design were
NETHERLANDS the responsibility of Daniel Marot. The building's Classical
GERMANY
fa<;ade (Classical Style, seep. 137) belies the opulence of its
BELGIUM lavish interior; extensive restoration work was completed on

Engraving of William Ill both in 1984.
of Orange (1650--1702)
THE HOUSE OF ORANGE-NASSAU
The marriage of Hendrik Ill of Nassau-Breda Queen Mary ll's
and Claudia of Chalon-Orange established QUEEN WILHELMINA Bedroom
the House of Orange-Nassau in 1515. Since
After the death of the Dutch King
that time, the family has played a central role
William Ill (r 1848-90), his daughter
in the political life of the Netherlands. The Wilhelmina was the first female to rule
House of Orange is also important in British the country as queen (r 1890-1948)
history. In 1677, William Ill of Orange married During her reign, Wilhelmina used the
his first cousin, the English princess Mary Het Loo Palace as her summer retreat.
Stuart. William and Mary became king and
queen of England in 1689 when Mary's
father, James II, went into exile in France,
~ Royal Bedroom
and the couple ruled as joint monarchs.
The wall coverings and
draperies in this luxuriously
HET LOO PALACE INTERIOR furnished bedroom (1713)
The Orange-Nassau family continued to use are of rich orange damask
and purple silk.
H et Loo Pal ace as a royal sum mer house
until1975. The palace is now a museum,
~ Stadtholder
and painstaking restoration has re-created its
William Ill's Closet
17th-century appearance .. The interior, which The walls of William's
is sumptuously decorated with rich materials, private study (1690) are
is laid out symmetrically, with the royal covered in embossed
scarlet damask. His favorite
apartments located to the east and west paintings and Delftware
of the Great Hall. The wings of the palace pieces are exhibited here.
contain exhibitions of court costumes, along
with documents, paintings, silver, and china
belonging to the House of Orange-Nassau
over three centuries.

THE GARDENS AND FOUNTAINS
In 1686, the Formal Gardens surrounding
the palace were laid out and soon became
eel ebr ate d. The designer was Daniel Marot
( 1661-17 52), who added a host of small
details such as wrought-iron railings and
garden urns. The gardens, which include
the Queen's Garden and King's Garden,
were designed to be strictly geometrical. King's
They were decorated with formal flower Garden
beds and embellished with fountains,
borders, topiary and cascades. Statues were
pi aced throughout. Today, the King's Garden
features clipped box trees and pyramid- King William Ill's
shaped juniper trees. At the center stands an Bedroom
octagonal white marble basin with a spouting
triton and gilt sea dragons. The slightly raised Main
Upper Garden is home to the impressive entrance
King's Fountain, which is fed by a natural
spring and operates 24 hours a day.lt is a
classic, eye-catching feature in a royal garden.