Villa Welgelegen

Villa Welgelegen, since 1930 the offices of the provincial executives of North Holland is located at the north end of a public park in Haarlem. It is a prime example of neoclassical architecture, unusual for its style in the Netherlands.

From 1814 to her death in 1828 Princes Wilhelmina of Prussia, who remembered the villa from her marriage, kept the villa as a summer palace and opened it to the public as a museum. After Wilhelmina died, Welgelegen housed many museums that later moved to Amsterdam or Leiden.

It was built by Henry Hope of the famous family banking company Hope & Co. of Amsterdam, from 1785 to 1789 as a summer home, to replace the already quite impressive structure that he purchased there in 1769. During the construction period, it was the talk of the town. No one had seen such a large summer home.

Henry Hope was so influential that he persuaded the Haarlem local government to redesign the public parks Frederickspark and Haarlemmerhout on both sides of the palace. He had many famous visitors to this palace, including William V of Orange, who visited with his wife, Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia and Thomas Jefferson in 1788.

After the War of 1812 Welgelegen became the property of the government of the Netherlands.

Opening hours

Open to the public only on Monumenten Dag (Monumental Day).

Sights in the Haarlem area

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