Now, traveller, enter,
Hofwijck garden will be accounted for.
Have patience, I will report the very least,
And not hold still about the very most.
Thereupon must the audience rely:
Never does a planter tire of travelling his own land,
Or talking of his own land, muttering about his own land;
When it rains that it pours, he thinks it's a bit damp,
When it's damp, the weather is sweet,
when it storms it is but cool,
And, he who harbours this lust, does not feel nought.

(Hofwijck poem, lines 957-964)

A guided tour of Hofwijck, the 17th century seen
through Huygens' eyes.

The Hofwijck country estate has known a tumultuous history. Hofwijck was built in 1641 during the final years of the eighty-year War and was intended as an example of the new architectural style Dutch Classicism. Constantijn Huygens had grand plans in the design of his estate. Visit Hofwijck as a group for our guided tour through house and garden. You will learn the interesting tale of why the house is so modest in scale, against what historical background Hofwijck came into being and what Huygens' position was at the court of the stadhouders of Orange.

You can book a tour by telephone: 0031 70 387 23 11. Costs are € 5.00 per person, including admission and coffee (minimum €50.00 per group). Tours can also be booked outside of regular opening hours.