Groeneveld Castle is an estate in Baarn which was build in 1710. In the 17th and 18th century rich Amsterdam people used to built a property in the country to spend the summer. It is now owned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and in use as a Museum.
The rooms are not furnished but some of them have big paintings.
The hallway has a nice ceiling.
The garden is beautiful and very huge. The surroundings are 130 hectares and are accessible for walking and cycling.
This is the building seen from the backside.
In the garden are several sculptures.
And waters with white waterlillies.
In the garden was an ice cellar. As there were no freezers in the 17th century, people used in winter to cut
big blocks of ice from the nearby water and stored it under the ground in a very deep cellar, sometimes 5 metres deep. The cellar was very well isolated and the ice was covered with hay. When the cellar was well isolated, the ice blocks could used even in summer to keep the food in the castle cool.
The cellar is now in use by big ear bats, who love the cool atmosphere.
