Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: palace

Paleis Het Loo (Het LooPalace) was built in 1686 for Stadtholder William III and his wife queen Mary. It was used for almost 300 years as a (summer) palace by members of the Dutch Royal family. Queen Wilhelmina lived here till the year of 1972. After a huge restoration palace and gardens are back in their original state. Since the year of 1984 Paleis Het Loo is a national museum and open for public. In 2018 (again) major restoration work was necessary to ensure that the collection and the palace remain in good condition. Inside the palace was refurbished and outside the forecourt fully changed: instead of grass and a fountain there is now a wonderful water bassin, reflecting the palace. Surely the most striking thing is the expansion of the exhibition spaces underneath the new forecourt. One of them now houses the permanent presentation about the House of Orange-Nassau from Prince Willen van Oranje (1533 - 1584) till the present heir Princess Amalia (born 2003). This underground expansion of 5.000 m2 was officially opened April 2023.

Sigmaringen Castle ( Schloss Sigmaringen or Hohenzollernschloss ) is standing on a cliff high above the city and the Danube. Originally built as a fortress it has been transformed into a residential palace. With its 450 rooms it is Germany’s second largest palece. The original fortress at Sigmaringen was first mentioned in 1077, but the earliest construction, still visible today, dates back to the 12th century. The oldest parts of the original castle and fortress are hidden beneath the alterations and rebuilding that took place between the 17th and 19th century. Sigmaringen Castle was almost completely destroyed by a devastating fire in 1893 and had to be rebuilt. Destructions and constructions continued to take place up until 1902. Sigmaringen Castle has been the home of the Swabian branch of the Hohenzollern family since 1535. For hundreds of years the European aristocracy met at the castle and the family of Hohenzollern still owns the castle today. The palace can be visited by a guided tour. (We did not visit the castle, but only looked at the exterior from two points. First from a hill with the Josefskapelle – PiP3 - and later from the bank of the Danube - main picture and PiP 1 and 2.)

Schloss Weißenstein (Castle Weissenstein) looks for me more like a palace. This palatial residence is a masterwork of Franconian baroque architecture. It is considered being one of Germany’s most beautiful baroque buildings. In 1710, Lothar Franz von Schönborn, Prince-Bishop of Bamberg and Archbishop of Mainz, inherited the estate after a local family had died out. He ordered the construction of a palace as a private summer residence. He employed some of the best known architects of that time to construct a building of European importance. The palace was built between 1711 and 1719 from local sandstone material. During the Seven Years' War (1756 - 1763) the palace was attacked and damaged by Prussian troops. Minor restoration work was done in the late 19th century. More recently, preservation work has been done in 1975 to 2003. After the death of Lothar Franz in 1729, the palace passed to his nephew Friedrich Karl von Schönborn who had the park expanded. In the early 19th century, the park was converted into an English landscape garden. Weissenstein is still the property of the Schönborn family. Weissenstein Palace has a fully fully furnished interior and a splendid staircase. It has the largest private baroque art collection in Germany with more than 600 pictures, including work of Peter Paul Rubens, Albrecht Dürer, Titian, Rembrandt and Anthony van Dyck. The castle can only be visited within a guided tour.

Sofiero slott (Sofiero Castle) lies a few kilometers north of Helsingborg. This country mansion was built in 1864 for Crown Prince Oscar II and Crown Princess Sofia (of Nassau-Weilburg). It has long been used as a summer residence for the Swedish royal family. It was expanded to its current size between 1874 and 1876, after crown prince Oscar had been crowned king Oscar II of Sweden and Norway. The castle lies in a flowering oasis of 10.000 plants, and 300 different varieties of rhododendron and various gardens; including an English and a Victorian garden. Until the year of 1973 Sofiero slott was the official summer residence of the royal family. King Gustaf VI Adolf donated the castle after his death to the city of Helsingborg. Nowadays the former palace can be visited and a part is used by a cafe/restaurant.

Strömsholms Slott is one of the royal palaces in Sweden. It is built on the site of a former fortress from the mid 16th century and is located on an islet in the Kolbäck river, nearby Lake Mälaren. Strömsholm Slottwas built in 1669-1674 for Queen Hedvid Eleonora and designed by architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder. The baroque palace with its remarkable yellow colour has 18th century interiors and an important collection of Swedish paintings. The palace consists of a central building framed by four square corner towers and a central domed tower. About twenty estate buildings were erected at the same time as the palace.

The history of Steninge began at the end of the 13th century when the first known settlement was established in this area. In 1667, Carl Gyllenstierna inherited the Steninge estate. His relationship with the queen allowed him to develop the estate and the beautiful areas around Lake Mälaren. In 1680 the well known architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger was asked to design a palace. He was inspired by the French and Italian baroque style.. In 1705 Steninge Slott (Steninge Palace or Steninge Manor) was completed, overlooking Swedish largest lake. Several buildings are dotted around the palace, in particular a huge stone barn dating from the end of the 19th century (PiP2), now housing several shops, an art gallery and a restaurant. Nowadays Steninge Slott is privately owned by a company and used for cultural events. Steninge Slott, is considered being “Sweden’s most beautiful and perfect baroque building”. I have to say that from a distances it looks quite good, but coming closer it was obvious that the manor could use some serious maintenance (PiP 1).

Drottningholm Palace is located just outside the city borders of Stockholm on an island (Lovön ) in Lake Mälaren. The palace is the official home of the Swedish royal family since 1981. Drottningholm (= Queen’s island) is dating back to the late 16th century, when King Johan III built a palace for his wife. In 1661 the palace was destroyed by a fire. One year later the building on a new palace - as it still is nowadays - began. Drottningholms slott is surrounded by a French formal garden (PiP 1) and a more natural English style park (PiP 2) with ponds and lawns. In 1991 Drottningholm Palace was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List.

The Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet) is one of Europe’s largest palaces. The interior of this impressive building consists of 1.430 rooms of which 660 have windows. It is still the official residence of the Swedish King and Queen and also the work place and is used for official receptions. The palace is built in Italian baroque style in the 18th century on the site of the former ‘Tre Kronor’ castle, which burned down in 1697. The royal family was not able to move back in until 1754, nearly sixty years after the fire. The royal palace is open for public and offers also several museums. See for more info: www.kungahuset.se/royalcourt/visittheroyalpalaces/theroyalpalace/thepalace.4.396160511584257f2180003755.html Main picture: royal palace of Stockholm PiP 1: interior of the royal chapel PiP 2: inner court of the palace PiP 3: royal guards in front of the palace

‘Paleis Het Loo’ (Palace Het Loo) in winter.

Solliden slott (Solliden palace) is a fairly modest summer palace - better call it a villa - of the Swedish royal family. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria and built between 1903 and 1906. The Italian-style country house was designed by Torben Grut. The current Swedish king Carl Gustaf XVI inherited the palace in 1950 and is still used as a summer residence by the Swedish royal family. The gardens of Solliden Palace are open to the public from May to September. Solliden Palace is located on the island of Öland, in southern Sweden, nearby Kalmar.

Palacio de Jabalquinto (Jabalquinto Palace) is a late 15th century palace and is considered te be one of the landmarks of Baeza. This former palace of Juan Alfonso de Benavides is a fine example of flamboyant Spanish Renaissance Gothic with Mudéjar influences. The beautiful façade with Moorish influences is the work of Juan Guas and Enrique Egas and illustrates the fondness of the former nobility for ornate decorations with pineapples, flower shapes, garlands and decorative turrets. The two columns with the balconies are conspicuous. Palacio de Jabalquinto has a courtyard in Renaissance style with a monumental baroque staircase. Nowadays the building belongs to the International University of Andalusia "Antonio Machado".

Jacob de Graeff, mayor of Amsterdam, built around 1650 a countryhouse along a road - ‘Zoesdijc’ - between the villages of Baarn and Soest, which was called ‘Hofstede aen Zoestdijck’. Stadholder William III bought the manor in 1674 and used it as a hunting lodge. Many members of the family of Orange-Nassau lived in ‘Soestdijk Palace’ till 1795 during the French invasion, when it was seized as a spoil of war. The building then was used by French soldiers. In 1815 the Prince of Orange, later King Willem II, was presented ‘Soestdijk Palace’, in recognition of his services at the Battle of Waterloo. The palace was expanded by adding two wings, the northern or ‘Baarn-wing’ and the southern or ‘Soest-wing’. Many years the palace was only used as summer home by members of the Dutch royal family. After the investiture of Queen Wilhelmina ‘Soestdijk Palace’ was regularly used again. Her mother, Queen Emma, used the palace as a summer home until her death in 1934. After her death the palace was renovated so that Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard could make it their home after their marriage in 1937. ‘Soestdijk Palace’ became in 1948 their official residence until both of their deaths in 2004. Pending a decision about its future use, ‘Soestdijk Palace’ is a kind of a museum and it is possible to visit the building and the surrounding gardens.

Palace Het Loo, garden.

Palace Het Loo, garden seen from the roof of the palace.

‘Paleis Het Loo’ (Palace Het Loo) was built in 1686 by Stadtholder William III and used for almost 300 years as a (summer) palace by members of the Dutch Royal family. Queen Wilhelmina lived here till the year of 1972. After a huge restoration palace and gardens are back in their original state. Since the year of 1984 ‘Paleis Het Loo’ is a national museum and open for public.