The Princessehof of Maria Louise (1)

Finally a live “royal” event again. Museums in the Netherlands were allowed to open their doors again on 1 June. On Saturday 20 June I attended the opening of the new permanent exhibition “The Princessehof of Maria Louise” at the Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. The building was once the city palace of the matriarch of the Dutch royal family: Maria Louise of Hessen-Kassel, Princess of Orange-Nassau. I promise I will tell you a little bit more about the exhibition later this week.

They couldn’t have wished for better weather for the opening that took place in the garden of the palace. As I was early, I first had a look at the front of the museum, where the brand new banners with the portrait of Maria Louise could be admired. The entrance however has been relocated to the garden side since the last time I visited.

Most guests were received inside the building, where they of course had to keep some distance. Around 11am the King’s commissioner in the province of Friesland, Mr Arno Brok, and the director of the museum, Mr Kris Callens, together performed the opening. After reveiling the little orange tree, the King’s commissioner held a speech. The tree of course was planted in honour of Maria Louise and is a symbol of the House of Orange-Nassau and hopefully will grow in the years to come.

After the opening the guests could get some drinks and food at the food truck in the gardens. There also was some music by singer-songwriter Timo de Jong. And then it was time to have a look at the exhibition room and the museum.