The Dutch Glory route

The estates tell the story of the Golden Age and the Wig Age; the time when Holland was the richest country in the world. Wealthy regents and merchants wanted to get out of the city in the summer and built country houses on the sandy soil of the old row of dunes along the coast. Spending the summer in the healthy outdoors, not too far from Haarlem, The Hague or Leiden, that was the idea. 

A brief description of the estates, parks and castles can be found below. \\\'T Huys Dever : Dever was probably built shortly after 1375 by Reinier Dever or d'Ever, a member of a very old family of Dutch nobles. The building is a so-called residential tower or donjon, a fortified house, as there were many in the coastal region; except for Dever, they are all gone. Open for viewing Wednesday to Sunday from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM Ruin of Teylingen: Teylingen Castle is a Dutch castle in the hamlet of Teylingen (merger of the municipalities of Sassenheim, Voorhout and Warmond). It was probably the ancestral seat of the noble Van Teylingen family, from which the Brederode house directly descended. Only the'Ruins of Teylingen\\\' remains of the castle. It is well consolidated, consists of a ring wall and a keep of which the ring wall is part and is partly surrounded by water. The castle is a round moated castle. The most famous resident was the Dutch Countess Jacoba of Bavaria. The castle was also the base for the troops of the Prince of Orange during the liberation of Leiden. The ruin can only be visited on a few days, for information about this see the Teylingen Castle website. Park Rusthoff: Park Rusthoff is a city park in the center of the village of Sassenheim. However, the old country estate is still very recognizable. The park was completely restored to its English landscape style in 2001 and is freely accessible every day. The park has a petting zoo, a park pavilion, a native garden and there are school gardens. Country estate Huys te Warmont : The House te Warmont is a castle-like building on the edge of Warmond in South Holland. It is a late 18th century"country\\\" that was once inhabited by the lords of the free estate of Warmond. The house is now privately occupied and is not open to the public. The park in which the house is located has beautiful old oak avenues, winding paths, water features, open spaces and views to the Kaag. Hidden in the forest is the orangery where you can also find a rose and herb garden. The park is open daily. Oud-Poelgeest Estate: Oud-Poelgeest Castle is located in Oegstgeest. The castle was founded shortly after 1300 as a fortified house in an area surrounded by marshes and ponds. The castle is located on an estate of over 10 hectares. with deciduous forest, pond and watercourses where you can also find a coach house from the 19th century, a chapel, a gardener's house and a well. The castle was built around 1640 in the current style and has known many owners. A famous resident of the castle was the Leiden professor Herman Boerhaave around 1725. He planted special trees and crops on the estate and created a herb garden. The park is made up of avenues, lawns and forest areas. The tree planting has grown monumentally over the centuries. The estate is known for its special wild spring bulbs, this very well-developed stinzen flora is unique in South Holland. The park is open daily. Nieuw Leeuwenhorst estate : Nieuw Leeuwenhorst is located on a beach ridge between Noordwijk and Noordwijkerhout. The country estate is characterized by stately beech and oak trees, younger coppice forest, meadows and ponds. The area is rich in birds, bats and fallow deer and roe deer can also be found regularly. Together with the country estates Klein Leeuwenhorst and Dijkenburg, it forms a very interesting and historically layered area with avenues, remains of rhododendron groups and half-hidden bunkers. Count of Limburg Stirum ordered the construction of a new house on Leeuwenhorst in 1880. This house was demolished in 1943 for the construction of a German tank trap. When the house was demolished, a lifestyle of grand dinners and hunting parties also disappeared. The coach house and horse stable have been preserved. You can go for a walk on the estate every day.'T Hof van Hillegom: This country estate dates from the Middle Ages.'t Hof is first mentioned in 1420, but the house is probably much older. The house was successively owned by families such as Van Nyenrode, Van Sypesteyn, Six and Van Waveren. The last heirs donated't Hof to the municipality of Hillegom in 1903 with the intention of making these assets a lasting ornament and useful to the community. In 1984, the new town hall was built attached to't Hof. The (Municipal) House is open from Monday to Wednesday and on Friday from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Keukenhof Castle: The name Keukenhof is derived from'Keukenduin\\\' which belonged to Slot Teylingen. Adriaen Maertenszoon Block, a former commander of the Dutch East India Company, had his house built in Keukenduin in 1640. The castle did not yet have towers, but the beautiful halls on the first floor must have made a great impression on visitors. In the centuries that followed, the estate continued to grow. A design by architect Elie Saraber transformed the seventeenth-century house around 1860 into a neo-Gothic castle with all kinds of towers. The castle remained in the family through the female line in the years that followed, which is clearly visible in the castle: furniture from all kinds of years and style periods can be found in the various salons. The beautiful interior - which has been preserved in its entirety - shows how the nobility used to live. In 1840, the park was redesigned by the landscape architects Zocher and Zn., who later also designed the Vondelpark in Amsterdam. They were inspired by the English landscape: the hills and winding roads are characteristic of that type of landscape. Since the last lord of the Keukenhof estate, Count JCE van Lynden, died in August 2003, the Keukenhof Castle Foundation has been given responsibility by the count for the maintenance and operation of the estate. At the end of 2011, a major restoration of the castle was completed. The nearby historic buildings and surrounding park have also been restored to their former glory. Keukenhof Castle is now the country estate of yesteryear, a place to relax, enjoy culture and nature and meet friends and acquaintances. A historic environment, but vibrant with life. For opening hours and guided tours, see the website www.kasteelkeukenhof.nl We wish you a pleasant bike ride and be surprised by all the beauty that reminds us of a glorious time!