History of Keukenhof Castle
Centuries ago, Countess Jacoba van Beieren, or Jacqueline of Bavaria, used the sandy "Keukenduyn" (kitchen dunes) as a royal hunting ground to supply her Teylingen Castle’s kitchens with game. Fast forward to 1641, and Keukenhof Castle was built, its grounds eventually sprawling across 200 hectares.
But the real work began in 1857, when the renowned landscape architects, Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher (the duo behind Amsterdam's Vondelpark!), redesigned the castle gardens. Their vision, an English landscape-style park, laid the foundation for the Keukenhof we know today.
Then, in 1949, a brilliant idea blossomed: 20 top flower bulb growers and exporters decided to showcase their spring blooms on the estate. And so, in 1950, Keukenhof opened its gates and instantly captivated the public. A staggering 236,000 visitors flocked to the park in its very first year!