# Drakensteyn Castle

- **Country:** the Netherlands
- **Coordinates:** 52.179722, 5.227222
- **Location Text:** Lage Vuursche, Utrecht

Drakensteyn Castle is a small, historic residence located at 8 Slotlaan in the hamlet of Lage Vuursche, within the municipality of Baarn in the Netherlands. Although a house on this site was first mentioned in 1360, the current structure was built between 1640 and 1643 for Gerard van Reede. The building is architecturally distinctive due to its rare octagonal shape and Classicist style. It is surrounded by a moat that is accessible via a bridge, contributing to its traditional castle appearance. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the property changed ownership multiple times before being acquired by the Bosch family in 1807, who retained possession for approximately 150 years.

The castle holds significant historical importance as the private home of Princess Beatrix, the former Queen of the Netherlands. She originally purchased the estate in 1959 while still the heir to the throne and moved in following renovations in 1963. It served as the family home where she raised her three sons with Prince Claus until she ascended to the throne in 1980 and relocated to The Hague. Following her abdication in 2013, Princess Beatrix returned to Drakensteyn as her primary residence in February 2014. Today, the castle remains in good condition under her ownership but is not open to the public, maintaining its status as a private royal dwelling rather than a tourist attraction.

![Photo of Drakensteyn Castle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Madurodam_-_Kasteel_Drakestein.jpg)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drakensteyn_Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)