RO: N-or fi ei olandezii cei mai de temut competitori ai Germaniei sau ai Scotiei sau ai Tarii Galilor cand vine vorba de castele, si desi au avut ei in istoria lor ceva mai multe si mai spectaculoase castele decat au acum, se pot mandri cu o mana de cladiri medievale jos palaria. Unde mai pui ca unele dintre ele au fost transformate in hoteluri si arata de nu se poate! Pai ce credeam, ca numai Toscana vine cu minuniile de castele de piatra cocotate in varf de colina? Ei bine nu, uite ca si Olanda-i plina de ele, si in special in partea de sud, in regiunea Limburg. Normal, la dreapta Germania, la stanga regiunea flamanda a Belgiei, la sud Valonia. Cum sa nu fi invatat si Limburg-ul ca e musai sa aiba castele si fortarete? 🙂

EN: Maybe the Dutch people are not a worthy enemy for Germany or Scotland or Wales when it comes to castles, and even though they had some more castles throughout the history than they do now (and more spectacular ones), they can make a merit of some really nice medieval buildings. And on top of that, some of them have been transformed in hotels and they really look stunning! Well, what did we think, that Tuscany is the only one having those lovely hilltop stone castles? No, The Netherlands is also full of them, especially in the southern part of the country, in Limburg region. That’s normal, it has Germany to the right side, Flemish Belgian region to the left and Wallonia to the south. How could Limburg not learn that it’s a must to have castles and fortresses? 🙂

RO: Dar nu despre Limburg trebuia sa vorbim, ci despre regiunea Utrecht, pentru ca acolo se afla de fapt si de drept castelul pe care l-am vizitat noi, Castelul de Haar. Desi nu prea le sta in caracter olandezilor sa isi arate bunastarea si avutiile, Castelul de Haar e cel mai mare si cel mai luxos din toata tara. Are turnuri, turnulete, are parc urias, lac, poduri suspendate si culori de toamna. Tot ce-i trebuie unui castel luxos, in care proprietarii sa isi distreze oaspetii de seama 🙂 Una peste alta, Castelul de Haar pare scos dintr-o poveste. Nici nu e de mirare ca in aprilie are loc a 25a editia a Targului Elf Fantasy aici, unde toata lumea se inghesuie sa se costumeze in printi si-n printese.

EN: But we actually wanted to talk about Utrecht, not Limburg region, as this is where the Castle de Haar is. Even though it is not the Dutch people way to show off their wealth and fortunes, Castle de Haar is the biggest and most luxurious in the entire country. it has towers, turrets, a huge surrounding parkland, lake, suspended bridges and autumn foliage. Everything a luxurious castle needs so that the owners can entertain their notable guests 🙂 All in all, Castle de Haar looks like taken out of a fairy-tale. No wonder that in April they will hold the 25th edition of the Elf Fantasy Fair here, and people will push and shove to get dress in princes and princesses.










RO: Ce-i drept, o avea el Castelul de Haar “fata” de cladire medievala, cu ziduri de piatra, cu sant cu apa si tot ce-i trebuie unei cladiri din secolul 13, numai ca surpriza… nimic nu mai este original, iar intreaga constructie a fost refacuta complet in secolul 19. De fapt si de drept, povestea castelului e chiar interesanta si destul de controversata. Initial a apartinut familiei De Haar, de unde ii vine si numele, insa a fost complet distrus in secolul 14. S-a incercat o reconstructie prin secolul 15, dar abia cand au venit bogatanii familiei van Zuylens (pe la 1800) s-a facut un plan cap-coada de “reinviat” castelul. Cu pretul raderii de pe fata pamantului a unui sat, care pare-se ca statea cam prea in calea avutilor van Zuylens 🙂 Daaaar, indiferent cand si cum o fi fost construit actualul castel de Haar, arata bestial, are o gradina geniala si e perfect pentru o vizita rapida in drum spre Utrecht 🙂

EN: To be honest, the Castle de Haar really does look like a medieval building, with stone walls and moats and everything a 13th century building needs, just that surprise… there’s nothing left from the original building and the entire construction was completely rebuilt in 19th century. In fact, the story of the castle is quite interesting and somehow debatable. Initially it belonged to the De Haar family, where it gets its name from, but it was completely destroyed in the 14th century. There has been an attempt of reconstruction in the 15th century, but only when the wealthy family of van Zuylens came (around 1800), a complete “revival” plan was made. With the price of demolishing a village, which seemed to cross the van Zuylens path 🙂 Buuuut, no matter when and how was the current castle built, it looks great, it has a genius parkland and it’s perfect for a short visit on the way to Utrecht 🙂