Duivenvoorde Castle, (Kasteel Duivenvoorde) is located in the town of Voorschoten, between Leiden and The Hague- Zuid-Holland in the Netherlands.

Duivenvoorde Castel dates back to the early 13th century -  it was first mentioned in 1226 - making it one of the older castles in Zuid-Holland, when it was a defensive tower surrounded by a moat. The present style is the result of architectural modifications and restoration works which took place from the 17th through the 19th century.


For the first five centuries of its history, the castle was owned by one and the same family, namely the Van Duivenvoordes, who gave their name - at that time, van Duvenvoirde - to the castle.

Though the castle was named thus, the van Duvenvoirdes properly formed part of the House of Wassenaer, an ancient noble family that has played an important role in Dutch history. Toward the end of the 17th century an owner of Kasteel Duivenvoorde, Johan, retook the name of van Wassenaar Therefor, though the same family remained to live in the House, this was now under a different name.

Duivenvoorde Castle has remained within the family through succession until 1960, when the estate was placed into the care of the Duivenvoorde Foundation.


In 1717, two Roman stones were installed as plaques in the front hall.

The larger of the two stones, dated between 196 and 198 AD, has an inscription on the front about the repair of an armory by Roman troops; the text on the other side is older, dating from somewhere between 103 and 111 AD. In the making of the newer text, the stone was made smaller, damaging the older text.


The smaller stone has a text that, through knowledge of the people named there in, can date the stone to around 205 AD.

Legend holds that both stones come from Brittenburg, the presumed Roman ruins that resurfaced above water off the coast of Katwijk in 1520. However, this cannot be true of the larger stone, because a military chronicle discovered in 1517 was indisputably taken from the text of the larger stone, thus implying that the stone was found in 1502 while plowing a piece of land near the Roomburg cloister.

The last private owner of the castle was Jonkvrouwe Ludolphine Henriette, Baroness Schimmelpenninck van der Oye (1891-1965). Knowing that with her death the house would be sold and the furniture dispersed, including the collections of portraits, porcelain and clothing and textiles, she decided to close the house and leave it in the care of a foundation for restoration.

The aim of the restoration was to restore the castle to its appearance in 1717, though this has not always been possible. The terrace from 1844 has been maintained, and the opening of previously sealed windows to allow more light into the living room has taken away some of the symmetry. The interior has been repainted to match the colors of 1717, and later piecemeal work has been done on the ceiling.

The Duivenvoorde Foundation aims to turn Kasteel Duivenvoorde into a museum and put the historic furniture on display. However, the central part of the house and the north wing have not been made into a museum, but have been made to look as though they were still in an inhabited house, giving the visitor the impression of going back in time and walking around a house from which the owners are only temporarily absent. The south wing is in fact still inhabited.

As well as admiring architecture, by Huguenot Daniel Marot who also designed and decorated the stunning Great Hall in 1717, visitors can view the international collections of books, collections of gold and silver metalwork, pottery, glass, porcelain, furniture, oriental art and has a delightful garden and botanical display.


If you have a love for art, for history, for beautiful slightly gothic architecture and English landscaping then Duivenvoorde Castle is the place for you to visit.


Guided tours

May 1st through autumn holidays from Tuesday through Saturday at 2 pm and 3:30 pm. Closed on Sunday and Monday. Guided tours for groups in English, German and French are available on request from May 1st through October.


Admission

Adults € 6.-
Children up to and including 16 years of age € 3,-


Location

Duivenvoorde Castle is located off the N447 between Voorschoten and Leidschendam. Bus 39 or 45 departing from The Hague (Den Haag) Central Station and Leiden Central Station stops near the entrance of the estate (Kniplaan).


Special Events

• Catering for dinners, parties and receptions: Oseven www.oseven.com
• Summer Concerts
• Weddings, Bridal Photographs (year-round)
• Children’s tours are available upon request
• Candlelight Tours in October

For information, call: ++31 (0)71-5613752

• Christmas Tree Sale in December

• A guided tour of the park and the grounds is available upon request. Call ++31 (0)6-11126939



Park

The park is open year-round to visitors from 09:00 AM to sunset (07:30 PM). Unfortunately no dogs are allowed.


Admission park

Adults € 1,-
Children € 0,50.

Admission includes access to the grounds of the neighbouring Royal estate ‘De Horsten’.