Haarzuilens

Until 1898, the age-old village of Haarzuilens was located approximately where the Roman Garden was created. Little is known about the origins of the picturesque hamlet. The village probably originated in the Middle Ages right under the protection that the walls of De Haar Castle could offer.

The village hardly changed over the centuries. About twenty-five thatched and tile-roofed houses were grouped around a village green overgrown with large trees. The village had an inn that also served as a council chamber. At the end of the 19th century you could buy a ticket here to visit the picturesque ruins.

Around 1891, when the first concrete plans for the restoration of the castle were made, there was talk of a relocating of the old Haarzuilens village, to allow for the creation of an extensive park and hunting area. That is why the new Haarzuilens village was created 1.5 kilometres to the east. In 1898 the residents were able to move into their new houses.

These houses were also built around a village green, on which the village pump was given a prominent place. In addition to houses, the town also had a forge and a few shops. The most striking building is “Het Wapen van Haarzuilens”, which was designed both as an inn and council chamber. It even has a prison cell!  The village school is dedicated to St. Boniface.

To this day, the De Haar estate, the extensive park and the castle village of Haarzuilens form a total work of art that is unique in the Netherlands, a green oasis of peace and quiet in an increasingly crowded and hectic country.