construction timeline
Palace reopens in 2022!
The palace will open its doors to the public again this April 15, 2022.
Rebuilding landing stairs
The stairs at the front of Paleis Het Loo has been rebuild. Centuries-old bricks from the palace and a modern-day buildingmaterial such as cement show old and new merge. The cross vaults under the stairs are formed by using molds. The connection between the underground extension and the palace is now ‘set in stone’.
Replacing wall coverings
The centuries-old walls of Paleis Het Loo will be covered with beautiful fabrics and wallpapers. Company Oostendorp specialises in this craft and works within the palace with utmost care and diligence.
Corps de Logis under management again
A milestone in the Renewal & Renovation proces! The Corps de Logis of the palace (the middle part) has been ‘handed over’ to Paleis Het Loo by contractor Koninklijke Woudenberg. After 3.5 years of renovation and restoration, the entire palace is ready to be furnished.
Floor restauration
The floor in the Marot library is carefully being sanded. The old high-gloss lacquer is removed after which the 17th-century character of the floor reappears.
Relocation of collection
The first collection items have returned to the palace. The rooms are still empty, thus plenty of space for the collection items to be properly housed. Everything, from placement to moving around within a 17th century palace, is carefully thought through to refrain from making even a scratch.
A serene spot in the palace
While many rooms are being prepared for the return of the collection, peace seems to have returned to the chapel.
The 17th-century palace has been closed since 2018 due to the major asbestos remediation, resulting from the Government Buildings Agency Asbestos Policy Regulation. For Paleis Het Loo, the Renewal & Renovation is a good time – now that the palace is dismantled – to take a detailed look at the state of the palace and the collection.
Colorful interior
The seventeenth century has been a significant period for the Netherlands, both architecturally and economically. This is reflected in the interior and the use of color in the palace.
Pigments are mixed; this created many new tones and saturations. The first elements return to the palace. It must have looked like this in the days of its former inhabitants, from colorful wall hangings and detailed paper wallpapers to multicolored carpets.
Glass parterres on the Bassecour
The Underground Expansion is almost completely closed. The glass parterres on the Bassecour provide natural light in the Grand Foyer below. In the exhibition rooms light will be staged to display the collection, all the while protecting the pieces against the harsh light from outside.
The Library
In the palace, the library regains the original shape and layout. The wooden cabinets and floors have been fitted back into place with preciscion and craftsmanship. When reopened, the bookcases will be full of books again.
Replanting beech trees
Cut trees as parquet floor
The wood of the felled historic oaks is given a second life in the palace. Woodworker Maarten Kien explains how the timber is processed into parquet flooring: ‘each individual tree has a memory, its own diary… the further you saw into its grains, the further you flip through its diary.’ The wooden floor will be placed in the Ballroom, in the west wing of the palace.
Wall panelling installed
Since all the required wiring and piping (for the safety and preservation of the palace and the Paleis Het Loo collection) has been installed, specialist construction companies are reinstalling the original wooden wall panels and floorboards.
Removal crane
The crane has been disassembled and removed. The remaining hole in the renewed Bassecour has been closed with a concrete slab.
Removal of elevator and stairs
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.
Timelapse August
Tour of the construction site
In this video you will be guided by the project leaders, contractors, specialists and craftsmen who work on the palace renovation day after day.
17th century glass found
Another special discovery has been made in the palace. Chief curator Johan de Haan shows the shards of 17th-century glassware.
The roof is almost finished
The roof of the underground expansion under the Bassecour is almost done!
The palace is free of asbestos
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.
Timelapse April – January
Two years in one minute!
The renewal and renovation started in 2018. A lot of work has been done in the past two years!
Discovery in cabinet William 4
Head curator Johan de Haan explains how the interior of the palace can be seen as a kit. And who is that ‘A.B.’ on the back of the chimney paneling?
Discoveries in the Audience Hall
We have reached the ‘lowest point’
Timelapse – Underwater concrete
The underwater concrete was poured last month. Watch the timelapse.
Underwater concrete
The concrete floor of the underground expansion has been poured under water! Project manager Jorden explains the process in this video.
One year in renovation
Asbestos removal
Temporary foundation
An exciting part of the Renovation and Expansion: the temporary foundation of the palace!
Layer of sand removal
The dry, upper layer of sand is being removed. After this, the real digging can begin!
Timelapse – Preparations
This timelapse contains footage of the preparations being made in September 2018.
Contours of the underground expansion
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
The beginning
Project manager Jorden Hagenbeek fills you in on everything that has been done and what is to come in the future regarding the renovation and expansion.
Timelapse – preparation digging
The fourth timelapse of the Renewal & Renovation of Paleis Het Loo is recorded in April and May of 2018. It shows the underground concrete walls being completed. To be able to start digging the walls are first anchored.
The empty palace
Timelapse – removal of the gate
Removal of the last object
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?
Archaeological finds on the Bassecour
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.
Timelapse Bassecour
Clearing the Bassecour
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.
Removal of objects
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!
The door is locked
Director Michel van Maarseveen closes the gates to the palace. Let the Renewal & Renovation begin!
Photo: ANP – L. van Lieshout
The palace in 2022
On 7 March 2017 the final design was presented. A number of residential rooms in the palace will also be arranged differently. From 2022, 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.