'Lost gardens' fit for a queen

IT’S known as “the Versailles of the Netherlands” dating back to 1684, but the last time Het Loo Palace hit the headlines was April 2009 – for all the wrong reasons.

You may remember the images of a car crashing through a throng of well-wishers as a bus carrying Queen Beatrix and members of the royal family moved through the streets of Apeldoorn towards the gates of the palace.

The occasion was the Queen’s birthday. The 38-year-old driver of the car had lost his job and was in danger of losing his home. Six bystanders were killed and the driver died of head injuries days later.

It’s now just one of a number of magnificent palaces used by the royals. It houses a museum and library dedicated to the history of the Orange-Nassau family, and it’s been open to the public since 1984, though tourists rarely find it.

And that’s unfortunate because while the Dutch Baroque architecture is splendid – though low-key in comparison to the grandeur of Versailles – the real attractions are “the lost gardens”.

Restored for the tricentenary of the palace in 1984 – hence the “lost” – these are a wonderland of symmetry, of axial layout with radiating gravel walks, and of parterres with fountains and statues.

Orange trees were planted as an emblem of the Prince of Orange, and for their association with Hercules – a tribute to William III for defending his country and his Protestant faith against the Roman Catholicism of Louis XIV.

In 1688, William was to depose King James of England – and two years later the two faced each other at the Battle of the Boyne.

- Het Loo Palace, Koninklijk Park1, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, 00-31-55- 5772400, paleishetloo.nl

- If you know of a hidden gem, e-mail us at go@irishtimes.com