Paleis Soestdijk - Baarn, NL
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dreamhummie
N 52° 11.604 E 005° 16.758
31U E 655789 N 5784997
Palace Soestdijk is a former palace on the Amsterdamsestraatweg 1 in Baarn, the Netherlands.
Waymark Code: WM15NEA
Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
Date Posted: 01/27/2022
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"HUNTER HOUSE
Around 1650 an Amsterdam mayor had a hunting lodge built between Soest and Baarn. The young stadholder William III, an avid hunter, bought the homestead on the Zoestdijck in 1674. The stadholders hunted there, their widows spent their summers. In 1795 the family lost the hunting lodge. Under French influence Soestdijk was 'nationalized'. It even changed briefly into a French barracks.
In 1815 everything was different again. The French were gone, Holland was a kingdom and the crown prince - later King William II - received the hunting lodge as a gift for his performance in his battles against the French.
SUMMER PALACE
The crown prince and his Russian wife, Princess Anna Paulowna, had Soestdijk renovated into a real summer palace. Two side wings were added and everything was furnished according to the taste of the time - in Empire style. The royal family continued to use the palace as a summer residence after them. Queen Mother Emma in particular enjoyed visiting it. In 1928 she received a special gift for her 70th birthday: electric light at Soestdijk Palace.
Soestdijk Palace was only permanently inhabited from 1937, when Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard moved in after their marriage. The Dutch people had offered the couple a renovation as a national tribute. The palace received central heating and a comfortable, modern apartment at the rear.
ROYAL RESIDENCE
In 1940, the Germans invaded the Netherlands. Until the liberation in 1945, the royal family sought refuge abroad. Once again Palace Soestdijk housed foreign soldiers, this time German officers.
After the liberation, the family returned and in 1948 Princess Juliana succeeded her mother Wilhelmina as Queen. Soestdijk Palace thus became the royal residence. Unforgettable are the festive parades that were held on the steps by the entire royal family on Queen's Day.
RESIDENTIAL AND WORKING PALACE
When Princess Beatrix was inaugurated as queen, in 1980, Soestdijk Palace was no longer a royal residence. Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard continued to live there until their deaths in 2004. In 1971, the palace became state property. As of December 2017, after a very extensive selection process, MeyerBergman Heritage Group became the new owner of the palace and estate."
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