History Lesson (information taken from a brochure we received on our tour):
This castle was built in the 12th century on an embankment along the Rhine River. Haar was the early mdeieval Dutch word for an elevated stretch of land of this kind; hence the name of the castle and the family that lived in it. The original castle was nothing more than a fortified farmhouse and later a simple brick residential tower.
In 1434 Josina van de Haar married Dirk van Zuylen. Their descendants adopted the surname Van Zuylen van de Haar. In 1482 the castle was stormed, set ablaze and seized. The house was probably given back to the Van Zuylen van de Haar family in the early part of 1500 and was rebuilt. In 1536 it was given the status of castle. The castle was destroyed again in 1672 during hostilities with the French and thereafter it gradually fell into disrepair.
In 1890, Baron Etienne van Zuylen van Nijevelt inherited the ruined remains of the castle. The Baron had married Helene de Rothschild a few years earlier and they decided to rebuild the castle in grandiose style. No expense or effort was spared in the reconstruction.
Presently, the Van Zuylen family decendants and their guests spend the month of September at this castle. The castle is closed to the public during this month.
Our Experience:
The castle is currently under renovation again and should be complete sometime in 2011. Although no cameras are allowed inside the castle - we were able to see a few rooms on our tour. I can't wait to go back and see the entire castle!! The rooms we saw were truely AMAZING!!
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