Keukenhof

Where Keukenhof is situated now, was a hunting area in the 15th century. Herbs for the kitchen of the castle of Jacoba van Beieren were also collected here; hence the name Keukenhof.

The current park was a section of the sizeable estate of Slot Teylingen, with beautiful untamed bushes and dunes. After the decease of Jacoba van Beieren Keukenhof fell into the hands of rich merchant families. Baron and baroness Van Pallandt invited landscape architects J.D. and L.F. Zocher, designers of the Amsterdam Vondelpark, to make a design for the garden around the castle. This design, in the English landscape style, has always been the basis of Keukenhof. the 17th century, the Golden Age of Amsterdam, the Dutch began a period of overseas expansion and their sailing ships were trading all over the Far East.

At the moment the estate belongs to a Corporation. On the initiative of the Lisse mayor of that time and a number of leading flower bulb growers and exporters, an open air flower exhibition was organised here for the first time in 1949. This expanded to an annually recurring event that has always drawn great numbers of visitors from all over the world.

When do the bulbs bloom?
Flower bulbs are a product of nature. The temperature is a deciding factor there; with a cold spring it takes longer for the bulbs to bloom than with a warmer spring.

In 2009 the Keukenhof will be open from March 19th - May 21st.