Noordeinde Palace in The Hague is opening its doors again this year, and the tickets for the summer opening of the Palace have sold out in a day. Visitors can also purchase a separate ticket for the stables, of which a few were still available.
Noordeinde Palace is the working palace of King Willem-Alexander, and it has a long history. It began life as a medieval farmhouse in 1533 and was converted into a spacious residence, which was bought for Louise de Coligny, the widow of William the Silent in 1595. It was then known as the “Oude Hof”, or the Old Court and her son enlarged the residence even more. After his death, it was lived in by his widow, Amalia of Solms-Braunfels. After the death of King-Stadtholder William III, the residence passed to King Frederick the Great of Prussia. He sold it to Anne, Princess Royal, the mother of William V, Prince of Orange. William’s son became King William I of the Netherlands in 1815 and their first son, the future King William II, was born at Noordeinde Palace.
Copyright: Moniek Bloks
Copyright: Moniek Bloks
King William II hardly ever used Noordeinde, preferring to live at the nearby Kneuterdijk Palace. His son, the future King William III and his first wife, Sophie of Württemberg used the palace in the spring and autumn while living at the Loo Palace in the winter and summer. She moved to Huis ten Bosch when their marital problems began. After Sophie’s death, William remarried to Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont and their only child, the future Queen Wilhelmina, was born at Noordeinde Palace on 31 August 1880. The future Queen Juliana was also born there in 1909.
After the Second World War, the palace was no longer used as a residence. A fire in 1948 destroyed some of the central areas of the palace, and after the renovation, Queen Beatrix began using it as a working palace in 1984.
Noordeinde Palace opened its doors for the very first time last year and it was a huge success.
