Duin en Kruidberg
Kruidberg started as a summer house for rich merchants from Amsterdam, then it became a hunting lodge of the prince of Orange, the future king-stadholder, William III (1650–1702).
South Kennemerland was easy to reach from Amsterdam, by boat or horse, and the countryside was attractive, partly due to the raw landscape of the dunes.
Between Heemskerk and Beverwijk in the north and Vogelenzang in the south, an almost continuous chain arose of country houses and stately homes with extensive gardens.
[1] Duin en Berg was mentioned for the first time in 1598, when Steffen Cornelis Rijcken sold the estate to Aerndt Hendrich and Pieter van Dael.
[3] Also, a French formal garden was added, including fountains, statues, and a small maze of shrubs[1] On the top of the dunes, a viewpoint was created looking out over Santpoort and the lake behind it, the Wijkermeer.
[1] At the end of the 18th century, around 1787, the house at Duin en Berg was demolished, probably due to financial reasons, and the estate was sold in parcels.
[4] On 14 July 1682, Sophia's heirs sold Kruidberg to the Prince of Orange, William III (1650–1702), stadtholder and future King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689 until his death in 1702.
Its furniture was moved to the palace in Leeuwarden, Stadhouderlijk Hof, where his heir lived, prince John William Friso of Orange (1687–1711).
[1] He started at the Netherlands Trading Society (Dutch: Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij N.V. or NHM) in Batavia (Jakarta), a forerunner of ABN AMRO.
[1][9] After amassing his fortune, Cremer returned to the Netherlands in the early 1880s and remained active, entering Dutch politics and becoming the Minister of the Colonies.
[1] He was instrumental in founding Werkspoor, a factory producing railway materials, and the Colonial Institute (now the Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, formerly known as the Museum of the Tropics (Dutch: Tropenmuseum)).
[12] Towards the end of his career, Cremer served as the Dutch ambassador to Washington, tasked with improving Dutch-US relations post the First World War.
[1] Despite this retreat, he remained active, hosting numerous social events, including hunting parties, theatrical and musical performances, and receptions.
[1] The estate was frequented by guests, including royalty and notable figures such as Anthony Fokker, who experimented with car tyres there alongside Cremer's son Frits.
[1] Due to the inadequacies of Van Hall's house, Cremer had it extensively remodelled by various architects (adding a new floor) before ultimately deciding to demolish and rebuild it entirely in 1907.
[13] Van Nieukerken and his sons specialized in a Dutch Renaissance revival style, characterized by richly decorated brick façades, contrasting blocks, masks and figures, step gables, picturesque towers, and intricate reliefs and sculptures.
[1] Before the house was fully completed, Cremer hosted a reception for the International Colonial Congress on 2 June 1909, with Prince Henry (1876–1934), Queen Wilhelmina's husband, as a notable guest.
[1] The event required significant last-minute preparations but was successful despite some mishaps, such as the Prince's dog leaving a malodorous memento in the master bedroom.
[1][12] During the Second World War, part of the house served as a Roman Catholic church and refectory after the Germans closed the neighbouring village of Driehuis in 1942.
[1] Post-war, the Canadian army requisitioned the house, followed by its use as a training centre for Red Cross nurses and a center for repatriates from Indonesia.
[1] During the twentieth century, many country houses in Kennemerland (and the Netherlands) frequently changed ownership due to the escalating costs of maintenance.
[1] The company transformed it into a holiday home for its employees, a popular practice among large corporations after the Second World War to foster strong employer-employee relationships and attract new staff.
[1] Various incentives such as in-house magazines, work councils, employee associations, and staff parties were introduced during this period, and company holiday homes became a valued perk.
[1] On 15 June 1963, Duin en Kruidberg opened its doors to bank staff and retired employees, offering 92 beds and access to 400 hectares of woods and dunes.
[1] However, by the late 1980s and early 1990s, interest in the resort waned due to rising operational costs and a broader array of holiday options available to the public.
On 23 December 2019, ABN AMRO sold Duin en Kruidberg to Lucas Petit, who manages six other hotels as well through his company Hoscom.
The central hall is decorated with two large cast bronze Japanese vases from the Meiji era featuring fish in relief and sculptures of underwater life at the base.
Opposite stands an Amsterdam longcase clock from 1750 by Jan Henkels, featuring Atlas with a celestial globe and a dial with a Dutch landscape.
The dining room in revival Louis XV style was decorated with wall and mural paintings by the Dordrecht artist Aert Schouman.
Three grisailles were moved in 1961 and in 1990 replaced with paintings by Jacob de Wit from Herengracht 434, the former bank building of the Hollandsche Bank-Unie in Amsterdam.
