Daar U het eenigste overgebleven familielid van mijn Huis zijt..! As you are the only remaining family member of my house..! Bearn Bilker over Marie Vorstin van Wied, Prinses der Nederlanden (1841-1910) Bearn Bilker about Princess Marie zu Wied, Princess of the Netherlands (1841-1910) De Nassaulezing van Stichting Nassau en Friesland op woensdag 13 november […]
Few hotels have ever been a royal residence or the residence of a King’s mistress. The ones you can stay in are often quite expensive, but they don’t have to be, and they can be very nice to stay in if you’re travelling. I am certain there are more than I listed here, but these […]
Planning a trip to Leeuwarden, the Dutch city that will be one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2018? The event will be opened in presence of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands on Saturday evening 27 January 2018. There will be lots of activities this year, not only in Leeuwarden, but […]
On Saturday 27 January 2018 King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands came to Leeuwarden, in the north of the Netherlands, to open the European Capital of Culture 2018. Not only Leeuwarden, but also the Province of Friesland and even the neighbourprovinces Drenthe and Groningen are part of a year of celebrations and activities. […]
1795, Leeuwarden, Province of Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands. The Orange-Nassau family has fled the country, the French troops have reached Friesland in February 1795. With the French as an example the patriots finally wanted to get rid of the Orange-Nassaus and the nobility. Politics were more important than ever in this period. […]
Princessehof
On 9 October 2017 the Princessehof (court of the Princess) in Leeuwarden – also known as the National Museum of Ceramics – closed its doors for renovation. Actually the renovation already started before the Autumn, but parts of the museum were open as long as possible. The reopening will be on 2 December 2017. Just […]
He already held Nassau Walks and Maria Louise Walks through the centre of the city of Leeuwarden, the capital of the Province of Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands. On 5 August Bearn Bilker – a known Dutch royalty-expert – led the very first Anna van Hannover Walk, about his favourite Frisian Nassau. It […]
How many streets do you know that have the name of a royal? There is hardly a city or village in the Netherlands without streets named after either modern or historical royals. Leeuwarden, once a royal residence until far in the 18th century, has lots of these streets. But one name was missing in the […]
There are always plans. For 2017 I have planned a trip to London and Windsor (Legoland, not the Castle!). Luckily this is just in the period Kensington Palace remembers Princess Diana, who died 20 years ago. Hope to meet at least one of my royalty friends in London. I surely want to go to the […]
Did you know that the famous 19th-century painter Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912) actually wasn’t a Brit, but a Dutch national with a British denizenship (foreigner with the same rights as the Queen’s British subjects)? Even if I don’t really know much about art, I knew his name and that he was Dutch. But why at […]
