Page 255 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

THE NE THERLANDS  253

a selection of Dutch paintings Bulbfields of the Netherlands
and applied art dating from the
16th and 17th centuries. Bulb species cultivated in the Netherlands include lilies, gladioli,
daffodils, hyacinths, irises, crocuses, and dahlias. The most famous
E Frans Hals Museum bulb of all, however, is the tulip.
Groot Heiligland 62. Tel 023-5115 775. Originally from Turkey, it was first
Open Tue–Sat, pm Sun. Closed Jan 1, grown in Dutch soil by Carolus
Dec 25. & 8 7 = Clusius in 1593. Occupying a
30 km (19 mile) strip between
Haarlem and Leiden, the
5 Paleis Het Loo Bloembollenstreek is the most
important bulb-growing area in
Koninklijk Park 1, Apeldoorn. Tel 055- the country. From late January,
577 2400. £ to Apeldoorn, then bus the polders bloom with brightly
10, 16, or 202. Open Tue–Sun. colored bulbs, building to a
Closed Jan 1. & 8 7 0 climax in mid-April when the
∑ paleishetloo.nl tulips flower. For a breathtaking
showcase of flowering bulbs,
Stadholder William III built Het visit the Keukenhof gardens, on
Loo in 1686 as a royal hunting the outskirts of Lisse and easily
lodge. Generations of the House reached by bus from Leiden
of Orange used the lodge as a station or Schiphol Airport
summer palace, which came to A blanket of color, formed by tulips in (Stationsweg Lisse; Tel: 0252-
be regarded as the “Versailles of the Bloembollenstreek 465 555; www.keukenhof.nl).
the Netherlands.” The building’s
Classical facade belies the
opulence of the interior. Among first places in the Netherlands to art, with works by Van Gogh,
the most lavish apartments are embrace Christianity, and in the Courbet, and Damien Hirst, as
the Royal Bedroom of William III Middle Ages, it grew into an well as sculpture, costume, and
(1713), with its wall coverings and important religious center. The furniture collections.
draperies of rich orange damask city retains many of its medieval
and blue silk, and the Old Dining churches and monasteries. E Museum Catharijneconvent
Room (1686). In the latter half of The Domkerk, Utrecht’s Lange Nieuwstraat 38. Tel 030-2313
the 20th century, Het Loo’s cathedral, was begun in 1254. 835. Open Tue–Sun. Closed Apr 27.
beautiful formal gardens were Today, only the north and south & - 7 = ∑ catharijne
recreated from old plans. transepts, two chapels, and the convent.nl
choir remain, along with the E Centraal Museum
15th-century cloisters and a Agnietenstraat 1. Tel 030-2362 362.
chapterhouse. The Domtoren, Open Tue–Sun. Closed Jan 1, Apr 27,
which stands apart from the Dec 25. & 9 =
cathedral, is one of the tallest ∑ centraalmuseum.nl
towers in the Netherlands, at
112 m (367 ft). Completed in
1382, on the site of the small
8th-century church of St.
Willibrord, it affords magnificent
views of the city.
Among Utrecht’s many
museums are the Museum
Catharijneconvent, which deals
with the troubled history of
religion in the Netherlands
The sumptuously decorated Royal Bedroom and owns an award-winning
of Stadholder William III collection of medieval art, and
the Nederlands Spoorweg-
6 Utrecht museum, a superb railroad
museum, housed in the restored
* 234,000. £ @ n Domplein 9 19th-century Maliebaan station.
(0900-236 000). ( Wed & Sat. At the heart of the collection at
∑ visit-utrecht.com the Centraal Museum is a series
of portraits by artist Jan van
Utrecht was founded by the Scorel (1495–1562), known as
Romans in AD 47 to protect a the “Utrecht Caravaggisti.” There
strategic river crossing on the is also an impressive collection Utrecht’s massive Gothic Domtoren, which
Rhine. The town was one of the of modern and contemporary dominates the city

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