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APELDOORN

Paleis Het Loo Nationaal Museum / Bibliotheek

Paleis Het Loo National Museum / Library

Size 15,000 books (including 2,000 early editions), ca. 80 current periodicals
Character and emphasis The former royal residence Het Loo was built in the late 17th century for the Stadtholder William III of Orange and his consort Mary II Stuart, King and Queen of England. After a thorough restoration it now houses a national museum entirely devoted to the history of the House of Orange-Nassau and its place in Dutch history. Its library houses a collection of material in this field. For the art historian the sections relating to the palace, its interiors and its gardens are particularly relevant: these include reference works and monographs on the architecture and decoration of royal residences, historic garden- and landscapearchitecture, applied art (including textiles and costume), courtly life and its material reflexion, and the history of collecting. Het Loo also houses the Museum van de Kanselarij der Nederlandse Orden (Museum of the Chancery of the Netherlands Orders of Knighthood), and books and other material concerning decorations and medals form a separate section in the library.

Special collections

• Some 1,500 pamphlets, and other primary sources such as newspapers, presscuttings, etc.
• The museum holds a collection of prints (including some 4,000 early prints) and a collection of photographs documenting the history of the House of Orange-Nassau, which include photographs of royal residences and their interiors in The Netherlands

Catalogues

• Automated catalogue (since 1992), containing about 75 % of the books
• Alphabetical and subject card catalogue up to 1992