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By the 17th century, the Van Zuylen family line had become extinct and Castle De Haar was inherited by the Van Stembors, who originated from the south of Holland
By 1449, the castle became the property of the Van Zuylen family thru marriage. In 1482, the castle was destroyed due to differences of opinion (quarrels) between the city of Utrecht and its bishop
By the 17th century, the Van Zuylen family line had become extinct and the castle was inherited by the Van Stembors, who originated from the south of Holland - present day Belgium. French soldiers attacked and damaged the castle during the years 1672 and 73.
In 1801, Castle De Haar passed to JJ.van Zuylen van Nijevelt, a distant cousin of the Zuylen family. JJ had inherited a castle that was in a poor state of repair due to 200 years of neglect. Upon his death, these magnificent ruins passed to his son Baron Etienne van Zuylen van Nijevelt in 1890.
The rebuilding of the castle was started in 1892 under the guidance of one of Holland’s most famous architects Dr PHJ Cuypers. It is his influence on Castle De Haar that we see today. PHJ Cuypers rebuilt the castle as close as possible to the original outlines and were there was not sufficient material to work with he used his own ideas of what a medieval castle should look like. The interior was rebuilt to a luxurious standard with the inclusion of electricity. A new bailey with an entrance gate was built on its original foundations.
Today the castle is surrounded by parkland but this was not always the case. From the medieval period to the end of the 19th century, the village of Haarzuilens had been surrounded the castle. Haarzuilens was completely demolished and relocated some one and a half kilometres away to the west. The village chapel however was saved from this wilful destruction and incorporated into the new park. The park was created with 7000 fully mature trees which were brought in from all around the province of Utrecht.
Castle De Haar is now a museum and opens to the public except during the month of September when the Van Zuylen van Nijevelt family turn it back into a home for their month long stay.
Tourist InformationOpening Hours Castle: mid-Nov to Nov 30 and Jan to mid-Mar Sun 1-4pm; mid-Mar to May Tues-Sun 1-4pm; June to mid-Aug Mon-Fri 11am-4pm and Sat-Sun 1-4pm; mid-Oct to mid-Nov Tues-Sun 1-4pm. Guided tours every hour.
Gardens: Mon-Fri 11am-4pm; Sat-Sun 1-4pm Address: Kasteellaan 1 Location: The castle is 10km (6 miles) northwest of Utrecht off Junction 6 A2/E35 Amsterdam-Utrecht Phone 030/677-3804 Prices Castle and park: 8€ ($10) adults, 5€ ($6.25) children 5-12, free for children under 5. Park only: 3€ ($3.75) adults, 2€ ($2.50) children 5-12, free for children under 5
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Castle De Haar is one of the most famous and visited castles in all of Holland and was originally founded in the late 1300’s by the Van de Haar family, whose standing in society allowed them the comfort of building a fortified abode.
