Alterations
Paleis Het Loo became a museum in 1984: a museum that was once a house, a summer residence and a home. Major alteration work was necessary to ensure that the collection and the palace remain in good condition. The climate control system needed replacing, asbestos had to be removed, and lifts and WiFi installed.
Refurbishment
The wooden floors are visible again, as it was in the 17th century. Chandeliers now light the spaces in which they hang with LED lightbulbs. The collection is now back in the palace – the place that tells the history of the Dutch royal family.
Revamped
The renovation sparked the idea for a revamp, to create a place that brings old and new together. A place where history has been made, and continues to be made.
The design by Dikkie Scipio, KAAN Architects of Rotterdam was eventually chosen for the revamped museum. The design uses the symmetry of Paleis Het Loo. Beneath the forecourt, 5000m2 of extra space has been created to expand the museum. A glass roof admits daylight into the new space. The extension provides a logical place for all the museum’s functions and facilities, with more space for exhibitions, reception rooms and a shop.
Visitors are able to enter the palace from this underground space, see the permanent exhibit on the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange, in the east wing, or visit our shop and restaurants. Kids have their very own ‘Junior Palace’ in the west wing.
