Castle De Haar and Baron Etienne van Zuylen

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Castle De Haar in Haarzuilens near Utrecht in the Netherlands is the biggest castle in the country. The earliest traces are found in the 14th century, and although it was of great importance for many centuries, it was in ruins in 1890, when it passed to Etienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt van de Haar.

                                                                                                                                            De Haar in ruins.

But when he married Hélène, daughter of the rich de Rothschild banking family, the castle was fully restored to its current splendor. Our interest goes to the business (and other) interests of Baron Etienne. He was a banker, but also on the board of different companies. Initially, like most nobility, the family were horse people. But in 1895, Etienne was founding member and the first president of the Automobile Club de France, together with count De Dion and Paul Meyan. It was the very first automobile club in the world and Etienne would be the president for 27 years. He was also the first person to have his car stolen, in 1896, when his mechanic ran off with his Peugeot!

As curator Mrs. Timmers tells in the book Tien Eeuwen Kasteel de Haar, Baron Etienne was one of the first to build garages in his castle, but also a special petrol tower, with thick walls and a big lock... For decades, the castle was a meeting point for enthusiasts and their cars. The big car in the photograph below is an early version of the mighty V-8 De Dion-Bouton. To see such a beauty at de Haar was not a coincidence, as Baron Etienne was also a board member of the De Dion-Bouton company.

De Dion Bouton V-8.

But in 1912, a motoring disaster struck the family. Hélin, the oldest son of Etienne, on his way from Brussels to the castle to spend Christmas with the family, lost control over his De Dion-Bouton car and was instantly killed. Both along that road, and in the castle garden, monuments were erected to remember him.

Castle De Haar, with plenty of motoring and other history, is a majestic and magnificent building, an ideal place to stop on your next holiday in Holland, preferably in a PreWarCar! And as you probably already have read in the article: The Race from Paris to Amsterdam in 1898 - Part 1 by Ariejan Bos, Castle De Haar is also the finish / final destination of The Race from Paris to Amsterdam.

Words by Nick Jonckheere. Photographs courtesy Kasteel de Haar.

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