The carriage project

In August 2018, the five main carriages of Castle de Haar were brought to the restoration studio for serious restoration. A team of specialists cleans the old layers of paint, cleans the fabrics and fills the holes. Cleaning alone will require several tens of thousands of cotton swabs. The restoration is expected to take six months per carriage. Mario Broekhuis, a stewardship graduate, will keep you posted during the restoration!

Mario feels completely at home at a historic country estate like De Haar. Moreover, he knows everything about carriages and can tell wonderful stories about them. That is why Mario gives us an update on the progress of the restoration of the carriages for De Haar on this page. The carriages in this project come from the management of Borg and National Carriage Museum Nienoord and will be transferred to long-term loan by De Haar Castle.

Landauer

Landauer of Castle de Haar restored

Half a year was planned for it, it turned out to be just under two years: the restoration of the landau took longer than expected. But...it is finished!

Landauer in 10 steps

Landauer in 10 steps

We have been a little quiet in recent months about the restorations of the carriages that belong at Castle de Haar, but the project is still in full swing.

Yacht Break

True love - Hunting Break Part 5

I can still remember flawlessly how, as a boy of about eight years old, I lifted a cloth in my grandfather's yard and came face to face with the wooden wheel of something I could not otherwise identify.

He's done! - Yacht Break Part 7

He's done! - Yacht Break Part 7

How beautiful it is standing there, now at Restoration Center Stolk in Balkbrug and soon at the stables of Castle de Haar. After six months of intensive work, the restoration of the yacht break is finished.

The Driving Night Watch - Hunting Break Part 4

The Driving Night Watch - Hunting Break Part 4

Big news this week that the Night Watch is going under. The restoration at the Rijksmuseum will be similar to a "hospital visit. Based on all kinds of examinations, the conservators will make their diagnosis and they will go according to a treatment plan....

Broke in 1907 - Hunting Break Part 3

Broke in 1907 - Hunting Break Part 3

Meanwhile, the hunting break of Castle de Haar is completely disassembled in the workshop. While Maria Stolk works on the upholstery, her husband Piet has re-fitted the carriage's tiller and is repairing cracks in the wood.

Professors - Hunting Break Part 2

Professors - Hunting Break Part 2

If anything concerns Claas Conijn, it is to get the carriage upgraded as heritage. That it is no longer a "hobby object," but just as important to pass on to future generations as the art of the old masters.

Pillow problems - Hunting Break Part 1

Pillow problems - Hunting Break Part 1

After the start last week of Castle de Haar's carriage project, things are still relatively quiet at the restoration center in Balkbrug. The three carriages have been unloaded. Restorer Maria Stolk: "We had fixed the Grand Duc's flaking paint before the transport....

Victoria

Elegant Lady is ready! - Part 6

After months of intensive restoration, the Grand Duc of De Haar Castle is once again an absolute beauty. The dirty varnish and grease has been removed, the flaking paint preserved and supplemented, moth holes stopped, dented, leather greased and colored...

Strong Steps - Victoria Part 2

Strong Steps - Victoria Part 2

The approach of the Grand Duc -we will keep that name for convenience- is progressing with considerable strides. The carriage of Castle de Haar is gradually becoming more presentable. The crackled patent leather has been cleaned, bald spots on the interior upholstery have been filled in and the undercarriage is...

Squirrel hair sword brush (part 3)

Squirrel hair sword brush (part 3)

It has been quiet for a while around the Grand Duc, Castle de Haar's second carriage in the restoration workshop. That had everything to do with the meticulous cleaning of the old layers. That is now before us, now it we follow the process step by step....

Grand Duc of Victoria - Part 1

Grand Duc of Victoria - Part 1

Now that the buck is on it, the Grand Duc of Kasteel de Haar has suddenly changed its name: we call it a Victoria. At Stolk in Balkbrug the restoration of the second carriage of Castle de Haar has been picked up.

Pillow fight - Victoria Part 5

Pillow fight - Victoria Part 5

In the depot of the National Carriage Museum in Leek, someone walks around with a curious look. In his hands a broad, blue cushion taken from one of the carriages that originally came from Castle de Haar...

The Caleche