Kasteel De Haar

ViewFinders November Walk

Kasteel De Haar

On a cold and rare dry day this week the ViewFinders group visited the delightful Kasteel De Haar near Haazuilens, Utrecht. Designed by the architect Pierre Cuypers (famed for the design of Amsterdam Central Station and the Rijksmuseum) for the Baron Etienne van Zuylen van Nijevelt and his wife, Helene de Rothschild at the end of the 19th century, this Neo-Gothic pile was built from the ruins of a medieval 16th century castle. The formal gardens gave us wonderful views of the moated castle. We got some images that are unusual as there has been so much rain recently that the lawn between some of the formal planting is completely saturated, creating reflections where usually there would be none. Sadly we didn't get around the rest of the park with its stately avenues of tall trees, winding paths along the park forest, all the ponds and bridges as they were busy setting up marquees for their annual Christmas markets. However, we took full advantage of the more formal, laid out gardens near the castle. The old trees held a lot of fascination for me, but then, I do love trees!

Horse Chestnut at De Haar

Horse Chestnut

All images available for purchase here