Het Oude Loo (; The Old Woods) is a 15th-century

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

on the estate of

Het Loo Palace Het Loo Palace ( nl, Paleis Het Loo , meaning "The Lea") is a palace in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, built by the House of Orange-Nassau. History The symmetrical Dutch Baroque building was designed by Jacob Roman and Johan van Swieten and was bui ...

Apeldoorn Apeldoorn (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland in the centre of the Netherlands. It is located about 60 km east of Utrecht, 60 km west of Enschede, 25 km north of Arnhem and 35 km south of Zwolle. The ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The castle was built as a hunting lodge and is surrounded by a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

.Monumentnummer: 8175 - Het Oude Loo

Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands) often abbreviated as Cultureel Erfgoed, is a Dutch heritage organisation working for the protection and conservation of National Heritage Sites. It is located ...

. Retrieved on 5 March 2014. The castle is currently used by the

Dutch royal family The monarchy of the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. As such, the role and position of the monarch are governed by the Constitution of the Netherlands. Consequently, a large portion of it is devoted to the monarch. Roughly a third of ...

as a country house and guest residence. It is not open to the public.

History

The castle was built in the 15th century. In 1684, the castle and the surrounding land was bought by

William III of Orange William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the ...

.Oude Loo Castle
, Het Loo Royal Estate. Retrieved on 5 March 2014.Kasteel Het Oude Loo
Geheugen van Apeldoorn. Retrieved on 5 March 2014. On this land, he had

built. The castle was used by the court as, among other things, an apothecary. In the 19th century the castle came into the hands of

Louis Napoleon Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

who filled up the moat. Queen

Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War ...

had the castle and the moat restored by architect

Pierre Cuypers Petrus Josephus Hubertus "Pierre" Cuypers (16 May 1827 – 3 March 1921) was a Dutch architect. His name is most frequently associated with the Amsterdam Central Station (1881–1889) and the Rijksmuseum (1876–1885), both in Amsterdam. M ...

. Since 1968, the castle has been owned by the Dutch state.Het Loo Palace
,

Dutch Royal House In the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the monarchy is a constitutional office and is controlled by the Constitution of the Netherlands. A distinction is made between members of the royal family and members of the royal house. Membership According t ...

. Retrieved on 5 March 2014. In 1973, it became a

national heritage site A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage registe ...

. The castle is currently used by the

as a country house and guest residence. On 21 March 2022 it was announced that the property would be used to house 20-30 refugees fleeing the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

.Slot ‘t Oude Loo opvanglocatie voor Oekraïense vluchtelingen

Netherlands Government Information Service The Netherlands Government Information Service (''Dutch:'' Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst, abbrev.: RVD) is a Dutch government agency. The RVD is the official information service of the Dutch government and is the spokesbody for the prime minister, the ...

. Retrieved on 21 March 2022. File:Kasteel Het Oude Loo 1860.jpg, Rear view in 1860 File:Kasteel Oude Loo 1.JPG, Side view in 2005 File:Tekening van begane grond van Het Oude Loo - Apeldoorn - 20023507 - RCE.jpg, Map of the ground floor

Gardens

The gardens of the castle have a statue pond, a maze made out of beech trees, and an outdoor bowling alley. The gardens can be visited in the months of April and May.

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Het Oude Loo Castle Castles in Gelderland Rijksmonuments in Apeldoorn Palaces in the Netherlands Royal residences in the Netherlands