Work on the outer shell of the Castle is now finished. The cracks in the walls are restored, the shutters are painted and the roofs are covered with new slates. You can see how much it has improved when you compare the Castle with the (not yet restored) Châtelet right next to it.

Around the Castle the restoration activities are still visible. The building sites around the Castle and Châtelet will be there the entire year because of the work inside the buildings.

In the basement, the new pile foundation has been put into place and workers started with the restoration. The original floors and tiles will be replaced, and the electrical installations will be modernized. There will also be an upgrade in the facilities: for example a new waiting room for the tours and new toilets for our visitors. We will also make the castle wheelchair accessible. This work will take place the entire following year, in 2011 the basement will be accessible to the public again.

On the beletage (first floor) restoration work will start in March. The large cracks in the inner walls will be restored and, here too, the electrical installations will be modernized. Towards the end of 2010 the shores in the Main Hall and surrounding rooms will be removed. We will keep trying to show the restoration activities to our visitors (the Beletage will stay open to the public throughout the restoration) and in the mean time cause as little inconvenience as possible. For example, the cracks in the walls of the Main Hall will be repaired behind scaffolding that is fully covered in plastic. However, it is possible that you will experience noise pollution in some rooms. In these cases, your guide will show the room without explanations and continue talking in the next room.

In the next few weeks the wrought-iron gate at the entrance will be relocated. After that, we will renovate the entire area around the entrance. The pathways that are no longer in use will be via the shop on the Stalplein (stableyard): you can walk from the parking lot through the first archway and the Stalplein is directly to your left hand.

At the moment we are working on a book on De Haar Castle. It will be a detailed book of reference about the history, architecture, baron van Zuylen and his relatives and of couse the restoration. Also, we are making a documentary about the restoration. The book and documentary will be ready in 2011.

Check here for background information on the restoration of De Haar Castle.