The village of
Honselersdijk already had a small castle in the
Middle Ages. In the 16th century it belonged to the
House of Arenberg, but they were on the Spanish side in the
Eighty Years' War, and it was expropriated by the
States of Holland and West Friesland and put at the disposal of Prince
Maurice of Orange. His younger brother, Prince
Frederick Henry bought the castle in 1612 to use it as hunting lodge and summer mansion. It became his primary country house and showplace of his power. The medieval castle was torn down and was replaced between 1621 and 1647 by a new moated house and gardens inspired by the French architecture of the
Luxembourg Palace, but with distinct Dutch features. After the death of his father, Prince
William II completed the building of the house, although only a few of the planned extensions, such as galleries and pavilions, were created. Under
William III and
Mary the gardens were renovated and the house was adapted to the needs of its time (e.g. introduction of the
sash window). The house was a rallying point for the various crossings to
England or entrances to the city of The Hague. After the death of king-
stadtholder William III, the house was claimed by his cousin, King
Frederick I in
Prussia, just as various other country houses and palaces. The Prussian king and his family mostly lived in
Berlin and because of an ongoing dispute about the inheritance with the King-Stadtholder's sole heirs in the
Frisian Nassau branch, little or no maintenance was taken up and the house fell into disrepair. Due to negotiations between
Frederick the Great and
Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, the house was sold to her son Prince
William V in 1754. There were plans for renovation, but considered too expensive. William V occasionally used the house only for hunting purposes. The last real residents were his sister
Princess Carolina and her husband
Karl Christian, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg between 1760 and 1765. During the French occupation the house was confiscated in 1795 and fell into decay. It was used as prison and hospital. After the restoration in the Netherlands in 1813, King
William I was not inspired to save the house and it was demolished in 1815. Currently, only part of the outbuildings remains, the ‘Nederhof’ (the lower courtyard), which was used as stables and guest quarters. Since its restoration in 1976, it is used as a foster home. ==Art and architecture==