Noordeinde Palace is one of the four official
palaceA palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome...
s of the
Dutch royal familyThe House of Orange-Nassau , a branch of the European House of Nassau, has played a central role in the political life of the Netherlands — and at times in Europe — since William I of Orange organized the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, which after the Eighty Years'...
. Located in
The HagueThe Hague is the third largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam and Rotterdam, with a population of 485,818 and an area of approximately 100 km²...
in the province of
South HollandSouth Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.-History:...
, it has been used as the "working palace" for
Queen BeatrixBeatrix has been the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 30 April 1980, when her mother, Queen Juliana, abdicated.-Early life:...
since 1984.
The palace originally started as a medieval farmhouse, which was converted into a spacious residence by the steward of the States of Holland, Willem van de Goudt in 1533. The original farmhouse's cellars can still be seen in the palace basement.
From 1566 to 1591, the palace had a different owner.
Noordeinde Palace is one of the four official
palaceA palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome...
s of the
Dutch royal familyThe House of Orange-Nassau , a branch of the European House of Nassau, has played a central role in the political life of the Netherlands — and at times in Europe — since William I of Orange organized the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, which after the Eighty Years'...
. Located in
The HagueThe Hague is the third largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam and Rotterdam, with a population of 485,818 and an area of approximately 100 km²...
in the province of
South HollandSouth Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.-History:...
, it has been used as the "working palace" for
Queen BeatrixBeatrix has been the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 30 April 1980, when her mother, Queen Juliana, abdicated.-Early life:...
since 1984.
From farmhouse to palace
The palace originally started as a medieval farmhouse, which was converted into a spacious residence by the steward of the States of Holland, Willem van de Goudt in 1533. The original farmhouse's cellars can still be seen in the palace basement.
From 1566 to 1591, the palace had a different owner. After that it was leased, and in 1595, purchased by the States of Holland for
Louise de ColignyLouise de Coligny was the daughter of Gaspard de Coligny and Charlotte de Laval and the fourth and last spouse of William the Silent.-Biography:...
, the widow of
William of OrangeWilliam of Orange usually refers to either:*William the Silent, William I, , Prince of Orange, founder of the House Orange-Nassau and the Netherlands as a state...
, and her son Prince
Frederik HendrikFrederick Henry, or Frederik Hendrik in Dutch , was the sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel from 1625 to 1647.-Early life:...
. In recognition of William’s service to the nation, the States presented the building to his family in 1609.
Frederik Hendrik substantially enlarged the house, which was then known as the
Oude Hof. He began by buying the surrounding plots of land. The architects
Pieter PostPieter Jansz Post was a Dutch architect, painter and printmaker.Post was the son of a stained-glass painter and the older brother of painter Frans Post....
and
Jacob van CampenJacob van Campen was a Dutch artist and architect of the Golden Age.-Life:He was born into a wealthy family at Haarlem, and spent his youth in his home town. Being of noble birth and with time on his hands, he took up painting mainly as a pastime...
, who built
Huis ten BoschHuis ten Bosch is one of the four official residences of the Dutch Royal Family, located in The Hague in the Netherlands. It has been home to Queen Beatrix since 1981. The other royal palace in The Hague, Noordeinde Palace, is used for work-related purposes...
Palace in 1645, were among those involved in the alterations. The alterations included lengthening the main building and adding wings on either side, thus creating the characteristic H-form that is seen today.
After Frederik Hendrik died in 1647, his widow,
Amalia van SolmsAmalia of Solms-Braunfels , Countess of Solms-Braunfels, was the wife of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange. She was the daughter of Johann Albrecht I of Solms-Braunfels and Agnes of Sayn-Wittgenstein.-Childhood:...
, spent much of her time at the Oude Hof. Following her death in 1675, the house was more or less empty for many years. After the death of the Stadholder-
King William IIIWilliam III was a sovereign Prince of Orange by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland, and as William II over Scotland...
in 1702, it passed to King
Frederick WilliamThe name Frederick William usually refers to several monarchs of the Hohenzollern dynasty:*Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg *Frederick William I , King of Prussia*Frederick William II , King of Prussia...
of Prussia, a grandson of Frederik Hendrik’s.
In 1754, King Frederick the Great of
PrussiaPrussia was a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries this state had substantial influence on German and European history...
sold his land-holdings in the Netherlands to Stadholder
William VWilliam V Batavus, Prince of Orange and Nassau-Dietz was the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, and between 1795 and 1806 he led the Government of the Dutch Republic in Exile in London. He was succeeded by his son William I.-Earliest years:...
.
The son of Stadholder William V, who would become King
Willem IWilliam I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
, took up residence at the Oude Hof in 1792. But when the
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
invaded the Netherlands in 1795, during the
French Revolutionary WarsThe French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, he and his family were forced to flee to
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The Oude Hof became the property of the
Batavian RepublicThe Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795 and ended on June 5, 1806 with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
and hence state property, the status it has today.
Royal palace
In 1813, after the fall of King
Louis BonaparteLouis Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince Français, King of Holland, Comte de Saint-Leu was the fifth surviving child and fourth surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino, and brother of Napoleon Bonaparte.-Early life:Louis was born Luigi Buonaparte in Ajaccio, Corsica...
, Prince Willem returned to the Netherlands, where he was proclaimed Sovereign Prince.
The Constitution of the time decreed that the State must provide a summer and a winter home for the sovereign. Initially there were plans to build a new winter residence, but in the end it was decided to make extensive alterations to the Oude Hof.
King Willem I moved into Noordeinde Palace in 1817, living there until his
abdicationAbdication is the act of renouncing and resigning from a formal office, especially from the supreme office of state. In Roman law the term was also applied to the disowning of a family member, as the disinheriting of a son...
in 1840. His successor, King
Willem IIWilliam II was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg from 7 October 1840 until his death.-Early life and education:...
, never resided there. Like his grandfather, King Willem III used Noordeinde as his winter home, though he preferred to live at his summer residence,
Het LooHet Loo Palace is a palace in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. The symmetrical Dutch Baroque building was designed by Jacob Roman and Johan van Swieten and was built between 1684 and 1686 for stadtholder-king William III and Mary II of England...
Palace in
ApeldoornApeldoorn is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland, about 60 miles south east of Amsterdam, in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a regional centre and has 136,208 inhabitants . The municipality of Apeldoorn, including suburbs like Beekbergen, Loenen and Hoenderloo, has over...
. In 1876, he had the royal stables built in the gardens behind Noordeinde Palace.
Even after King
Willem IIIWilliam III was from 1849 King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg until his death and the Duke of Limburg until the abolition of the Duchy in 1866.-Early life:William was born in Brussels as son of William II of...
married
Queen EmmaEmma of Waldeck and Pyrmont was Queen consort of William III, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg...
, the royal family continued to use Noordeinde as their winter home. Their daughter, Princess
WilhelminaQueen Wilhelmina may refer to:*Wilhelmine of Prussia , Queen consort of the Netherlands *Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands...
, was born there in 1880, and Queen Emma and her daughter spent their winters at Noordeinde after the King’s death in 1890. In 1895 the Queen Regent had premises for the Royal Archives built in the grounds.
Modern palace
In 1901, Queen Emma moved to Lange Voorhout Palace today's
Escher MuseumThe Escher Museum is a museum in The Hague, The Netherlands, featuring the works of the Dutch graphical artist M. C. Escher. This museum opened on 16 November 2002....
, while Queen Wilhelmina and her husband
Prince HendrikDuke Heinrich Wladimir Albrecht Ernst of Mecklenburg-Schwerin later Prince Hendrik of the Netherlands, was a German-born aristocrat who became the prince consort of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands....
remained at Noordeinde.
Until the German invasion in 1940, Queen Wilhelmina continued to make frequent use of Noordeinde Palace. After the war, the palace was again used as the Queen’s winter residence.
In 1948, the central section of the palace was destroyed by fire. That same year Juliana acceded to the throne. She preferred
Soestdijk PalaceSoestdijk Palace is one of the four official palaces of the Dutch royal family. It consists of a central block and two wings.Although named after the village of Soestdijk, which is largely in the municipality of Soest, the Soestdijk Palace is just north of the border in the municipality of Baarn in...
as her official residence, though some members of the Royal Household continued to use offices in Noordeinde. Between 1952 and 1976 the Institute of Social Studies was based in the north wing of the palace. Following a thorough restoration, the Palace became Queen Beatrix’s workplace in 1984.
The gardens of the palace are open to the public.
External links