Amerongen Castle

Amerongen Castle, video installation
Amerongen Castle, video installation
Directed by	Saskia Boddeke
Written by	Peter Greenaway
Produced by	Annette Mosk
Starring	Anneke Blok, Gijs Scholten van Aschat
Cinematography	Ruzbeh Babol
Edited by	Elmer Leupen
Release date	1 July 2011;
Running time	37 min.
Country	Netherlands

Amerongen Castle
Amerongen Castle
Kasteel Amerongen
	Amerongen Castle was built for Godard Adriaan van Reede (1621–1691).
General information
Type	Castle
Architectural style	Dutch Baroque
Location	Amerongen, Utrecht Netherlands
Address	Drostestraat 20
Coordinates	51°59′43″N 5°27′30″E / 51.99528°N 5.45833°E
Completed	1662
Owner	Stichting Kasteel Amerongen
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Maurits Post

Amerongen Castle (Dutch: Kasteel Amerongen [kɑˌsteːl ˈaːmɛrɔŋə(n)]) is a castle in Amerongen, Utrechtse Heuvelrug, Netherlands. It was built between 1674 and 1680, on the site of a medieval castle that had been burned down by the French in 1673. The gardens still contain historic elements such as a conservatory dating from the 1890s. In 1918, the former German Kaiser Wilhelm II signed his abdication here and stayed till 1920, when he moved to Huis Doorn.

History

The current building was designed by the architect Maurits Post as a baroque palace for the owners Godard Adriaan van Reede and his wife Margaretha Turnor. In the main hall a central staircase with painted ceiling was built by Willem van Nimwegen.^[1] Other ornaments were added in the early 20th century by P.J.H. Cuypers.^[1] The gardens contain historical elements and the walls predate 1673.^[1] Near the entrance bridge dating from 1678 is a wooden clock tower from 1728 that contains the original clock of the same date.^[1] In the northeast corner of the gardens is an orangerie dating from the 1880s; the north wall was raised during the period when Wilhelm II was residing there 1918–1920.^[1] He abdicated in Amerongen then moved to Huis Doorn.

Video installation

From 2002 to 2011 the castle was restored as a partnership between the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed and various funds in the cultural heritage sector. To celebrate the completion of the restoration activities, a video installation by Saskia Boddeke and Peter Greenaway was presented to visitors at the castle from July 1, 2011, to June 21, 2012.^[2] Through sophisticated video projections visitors are taken back in time to 21 June 1680. In 37 minutes the story is told on 21 different screens throughout the castle. The castle functions today as a museum and is open from 11 to 5 PM from Thursday to Sunday.

Aerial view

Amerongen Castle seen from the air (film still from video by Rijkswaterstaat)
Amerongen Castle and its surroundings (film still from video by Rijkswaterstaat)
Dinner room
Gallery
Entree hall