Huis Doorn Castle

Huis Doorn is a small estate located behind Doorn, a small town near Utrecht. It was built in the XV century, and the modern look acquired after restoration in the XVIII century. In the first half of the XIX century, a garden appeared around the estate, made in the traditional English style.

Huis Doorn is best known for its inhabitants. So, Baroness Ella van Heemstra, the mother of actress Audrey Hepburn, spent her childhood years here. In 1919, the last German Emperor Wilhelm II settled in Huis Doorn. This happened just after Germany surrendered in World War I, and the emperor lived here in exile. He was forbidden to leave the estate for more than 15 miles. He spent the rest of his life there until his death in 1941.

In 1938, the wedding of William II’s grandson Louis Ferdinand and Russian Princess Kira Kirillovna took place in Huis Doorn.

Today the estate has been turned into a museum. Here is a collection of antique furniture, tapestries, porcelain and silver. In the garden are the graves of William II and his five favorite dogs, the dachshund.