Amerongen Castle was built between 1674 and 1680, on the site of a medieval castle that had been burned down by the French in 1673. It is perhaps best known as the place where German Emperor William II signed his abdication in 1918 and he lived in the castle until 1920 when he moved to Huis Doorn. His first wife, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein followed him there and lived in a small suite of rooms on the upper floor. She spent her days writing and knitting and she was very depressed. She died just shortly after the move to Huis Doorn on 11 April 1921.
Amerongen Castle is currently open to the public.
Hidden in the corner of the garden is the tombstone of a horse. Yes, a horse. Its name was Uranus and it used to belong to Augusta Victoria.
It’s quite easy to reach by public transport, though finding the sign from the bus stop is a bit of a challenge. The entrance fee is a bit steep for a castle (12 euros for an adult), but it is a lovely castle. There is a little cafe, but during my visit, I was ignored for 10 minutes before someone finally came up to ask if someone had been by yet. The sandwich I ordered was pretty good, though.
The volunteers of the castle are all very excited, some too excited as they burst into stories without me asking anything and just wandering about with my camera and I was reminded SEVERAL times that I wasn’t allowed to use the flash (which I wasn’t using). It got a bit annoying. One volunteer did move a lamp for my picture, which was nice!
Be the first to comment