Paleis Het Loo Reopens with Underground Contemporary Art Galleries

After five years of renovation, the Paleis Het Loo, the former hunting residence of the House of Orange in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, reopens on April 22, 2023, with King Willem-Alexander in attendance. Originally built in 1686 for William III of Orange-Nassau and modeled after the Palace of Versailles, the palace became a museum in 1984. The renovation added 5,000 square meters of underground exhibition spaces designed by Dikkie Scipio of KAAN Architecten, featuring a Grand Foyer with a glass roof and fountain, and two lateral wings. The underground construction required 1,200 tons of steel piles and a ten-meter-deep excavation. The historic rooms have been restored, including removal of 4,300 square meters of asbestos, and sustainability measures include LED lighting, geothermal heating, and plans for solar panels, aiming for carbon neutrality before 2030. The park is maintained organically, and a beekeeping project is underway. The permanent collection displays royal artifacts from the 17th to 20th centuries, including works by Rubens and Van Dyck. The underground spaces host temporary contemporary art exhibitions, starting with "Masterpiece" about the construction and "Orange Blossom" by Linda Nieuwstad, an installation inspired by a painting by Elias van den Broeck. Upcoming exhibitions include "Thrones" on monarchy symbolism. The museum also features the Junior Paleis for children and is part of the European Association of Historic Royal Residences.