“The façade says 1899, but the actual completion was in 1901,” he explains in the conservatory overlooking the water at the Wassenaar estate. “When I first worked here as a student, serving drinks, it was still a private gentlemen’s club. Now we’re opening up the very last rooms. It’s wonderful to see the castle more accessible than ever and truly used in all its glory; when I started as director, there was hardly any life left in it.”

One of the spaces that has recently been restored is the old tower room. “Nothing had been done to it since it was built,” Meppelder says. “With support from the province we repaired the walls, added insulation and applied new plaster. It will soon become the bridal suite. Elsewhere we’re creating space for two more rooms, bringing the total to fourteen.”

French garden

There is also the newly restored French garden at the rear of the castle. “It allows for larger gatherings and more possibilities than before,” the director says proudly. “We used the original designs by renowned garden architect Hendrik Copijn. A new tradition for us is an outdoor sculpture exhibition in the garden; the first, by Arthur and Caius Spronken, runs until January 2026. On the side of Restaurant Sophie we hope to bring back the original flower garden soon – perhaps even the herb garden.”

All this effort to maintain and improve the estate serves one purpose: to welcome as many guests as possible with a wide variety of events. “We do a great deal for embassies and ministries, including various national days and the annual King’s Ball,” explains sales and events manager Femke Pijnacker, who has joined the conversation. “The Ministry of Defence’s staff party draws around six hundred guests, many in full ceremonial dress – a fantastic sight.”

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American visitors find their way to the castle remarkably well. “The American Chamber of Commerce has held its annual congress and lunch here for years. It’s always interesting because of the well-known guest speakers,” Pijnacker says. “More recently, we’ve also become the regular venue for the proms of both the British and American Schools – it’s lovely to see all those elegantly dressed students arriving for their big night. And what I’m really looking forward to in this anniversary year is the annual Kwast Wijnkopers tasting: over four hundred guests and twenty-five leading wineries.”

Weddings

And then, of course, there’s the wedding market. “We host around sixty exclusive weddings a year, and each one is special,” says Pijnacker. “We’re seeing a shift from the traditional spring and summer weddings to winter ceremonies. Understandable, really – it saves a lot of stress when you’re not worrying about the weather.”

Success does come with a drawback. “There’s little room left in the schedule for our own concerts,” Meppelder says. “We do have the New Year’s concert with Julie Huard and a big band on 17 January. A full anniversary event is still in the works, but I’d love to organise a music festival with emerging and established artists.” So what more could he wish for? “There are challenges ahead, of course, but a newspaper once called us the most versatile castle in the Netherlands. We intend to stay that way for a long time to come.”  

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