Castle de Haar reopened in June after the closure of all museums since mid-March. The castle had to pull out all the stops to comply with the one-and-a-half-meter rules. Financial resources to do so were lacking, so much was accomplished by improvisation. Thanks to the donation from the Kickstart Culture Fund, ticket machines can now be purchased, information boards and signage can be made and the one-way route in the castle can be improved. Extra supervision can also be appointed to replace volunteers from at-risk groups.

Visitors may now stay as long as they wish

These adjustments are necessary so that more people can visit the castle as a result. Due to the one-half meter measures, the capacity of the castle had to be limited and visitors have to reserve a time slot, for example; the castle's ticket offices were not suitable for this. Inside the castle, visitors are allowed to stay as long as they want, but visitors must follow a fixed one-way route and, of course, the number of visitors per room is limited.

Major impact revenue

The lower number of visitors due to the one-half meter measures has a major impact on the castle's income, which has the effect of jeopardizing the maintenance of the castle, the park and the collection. It is therefore important for the future of the castle, within the applicable restrictions, that the number of visitors does remain as high as possible.

The additional government package of 300 million euros for the cultural sector was only intended for subsidized institutions. Castle de Haar does not fall under this, just like a large number of other museums in the Netherlands. Thanks to the Kickstart Culture Fund, it is now still possible to take the necessary measures and continue to receive visitors well and hospitably in this difficult situation for all museums.