As the Bassecour is almost restored and the elevator shaft has been installed in the palace, it was time to remove the elevator and stairs. Previously, visitors could still access the palace roof via the temporary construction lift and stairs. In the coming season; the palace roof is no longer accessible.
The roof of the underground expansion under the Bassecour is almost done!
A year before Dutch National Heritage buildings should be free of asbestos, Paleis Het Loo can proudly say the largest asbestos removal of the Netherlands has successfully been completed. For the removal of a total area of more than 4,500 m2 of asbestos, the historical interiors have been partly, some totally, disassembled by experts and temporarily housed in climate-controlled depots. Meanwhile, the restoration of the interiors has started and in the course of 2020 the re-assembly of the rooms and quarters will start, for the palace rooms, corridors and halls to gradually regain their charm.
The underground walls are ready and the countours of the new expansion are visible. The last few anchors are being placed and then we can start digging!
Picture of the anchor construction
Three months after Director Michel van Maarseveen symbolically locked the front door, Paleis Het Loo is empty. On 15 March the last object, a 19th century rug from King Willem II, was carefully packed. Having completed the removal of more than 160,000 objects a new phase begins; the renovation!
Want another glimpse of what it was?
A Roman coin, the foundations of a 17th century fountain and pottery of four thousand years old. The ground beneath the Bassecour is full of archaeological finds. In the following weeks, archaeologists will trying to dig and capture traces of earlier habitation.
The clearing of the Bassecour has started with the removal of the grass. Also the boulders have been removed, with a total of 25 cubic metres. And a start has been made with disassembling the Dolphins fountain.
The removal of the 170,000 objects of the palace has begun! The objects will be stored in a temporary depot. By Easter, the palace will be empty!
Director Michel van Maarseveen closes the gates to the palace. Let the Renewal & Renovation begin!
Photo: ANP – L. van Lieshout
On 7 March 2017 the final design was presented. A number of residential rooms in the palace will also be arranged differently. From 2021, visitors will enter the palace by the Grand Staircase, just as the former royal residents did. Several rooms in the servants quarters will be furnished and opened for the first time.