Castle de Haar is one of the contenders to win the title 'most beautiful castle of the Netherlands'. In cooperation with the Dutch Castles Foundation and the Cultural Heritage Agency ANWB is looking for the most beautiful castle of the Netherlands. Castle de Haar is one of the fifty castles that have been selected for the longlist of 'most beautiful castle of the Netherlands'.

Additional pride

Needless to say, Castle de Haar is proud of this nomination. Head of Marketing and Programming Cindy van der Schoot states: "The nomination alone is a wonderful culmination of all the hard work of the past years by all our staff and volunteers." Castle de Haar has been back on display in its full glory for the past five years, after a restoration of over twenty years. For a long time, the castle and adjacent buildings were a problem child because of, among other things, an unstable foundation. Because of this, the castle began to show cracks.

Long-term restoration

A comprehensive restoration project was started in 2001 to get and keep the castle, its buildings, park and collection in good condition. The cost of this project was approximately 40 million euros. Van der Schoot explains, "The costs for this extensive project were largely paid for with subsidies from the national government and the generous contribution of various funds. Without this financial help, a unique piece of Dutch history would have been lost." After a restoration that took two decades, the ANWB nomination for Castle de Haar is a nice reward for the hard work.

Festive handover

The Netherlands has over 550 castles, over 50 of which you can visit. Many of these beautiful pearls are still undiscovered by the general public. And that while the drawbridge over the moat is the gateway to the most beautiful stories about eccentric residents, glory days and decay. The ANWB is curious to know what you think is the most beautiful castle. The ANWB election will take place until Sunday, March 6. Until then, you can vote for "the most beautiful castle in the Netherlands." This vote determines which castles end up in the top 5. An expert jury will choose a winner from these top 5. The winner will be announced on Monday, June 6, during the Day of the Castle.

Should you wish to vote for Castle de Haar as the 'most beautiful castle in the Netherlands', you can do so at www.anwb.nl/kasteel

Best outing

we have also been added to Reischeck.nl's fun outings in Utrecht

 For additional information and/or photos, please contact Castle de Haar at marketing@kasteeldehaar.nl.