Keukenhof, originally hunting grounds back in the 1400s, employs 30 full time gardeners who work at Keukenhof throughout the year. Each autumn they spend about three months planting the bulbs by hand in a completely new design and theme for the coming year. Known as the “Garden of Europe” and encompassing 79 acres, it is the largest flower garden on earth. Keukenhof gardens typically welcomes about one million visitors in the eight-week window that it is open in mid-March to mid-May.
Since they are not able to open this year, Keukenhof has created a series of videos entitled "Virtually Open." Take a virtual walk in the park and take time to stop and smell the flowers. Below is a short history of the park from their website https://keukenhof.nl/en/.
The history of Keukenhof dates back to the 15th century. Countess Jacoba van Beieren [Jacqueline of Bavaria] (1401-1436) gathered fruit and vegetables from the Keukenduin [kitchen dunes] for the kitchen of Teylingen Castle. Keukenhof Castle was built in 1641 and the estate grew to encompass an area of over 200 hectares.
Landscape architects Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher, who also designed Amsterdam's Vondelpark, redesigned the castle gardens in 1857. That park, in the English landscape style, still constitutes the basis of Keukenhof.
In 1949 a group of 20 leading flower bulb growers and exporters came up with the plan to use the estate to exhibit spring-flowering bulbs, signaling the birth of Keukenhof as a spring park. The park opened its gates to the public in 1950 and was an instant success, with 236,000 visitors in the first year alone. 2020 will be the 71th edition of Keukenhof, with A World Of Colours as its theme. During the past 70 years Keukenhof has developed into a world-famous attraction.
If you would like to see more of Keukenhof you can find their YouTube playlist here. Join us each Friday as we explore the world. #WeWillTravelAgain
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