Stadhouderlijk Hof
Stadhouderlijk Hof in the city of Leeuwarden is a former residence of the Dutch royal family and was owned by them until 1971.
History
The palace was originally built in 1564 by Boudewijn van Loo, the rentmaster-general of the Spanish king and leader of the Hof van Friesland. In 1587 it was purchased as the residence of
Ernst Casimir, and on his death in 1632 to his eldest son Henry Casimir I of Nassau-Dietz, and then in 1640 on his death to his younger brother William Frederick, Prince of Nassau-Dietz, whose claim to fame was becoming the guardian of the young William III of England
for seven years. Today he is remembered in Leeuwarden for creating the Prinsentuin garden that still exists today.
In 1672 his son
John William Friso, Prince of Orange
inherited the building. This string of royal names resulted in several paintings of the royal family by leading artists of the day. Many of these paintings once hung in the portrait gallery and are now spread throughout other royal collections in the Netherlands.
Since 1996 the building has become a hotel, that has preserved the 18th-century decorations as much as possible, such as the former portrait gallery redesigned in 1710 by
References
- RKD
- ^ other picture of same gallery with explanation of the origins of the paintings.
External links
Media related to Stadhouderlijk Hof, Leeuwarden at Wikimedia Commons- Hotel website with historical timeline
Royal palaces in the Netherlands | ||
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