National Park Hollandse Duinen

The Landscape

Some 6,000 years ago, what is now National Park Hollandse Duinen was completely submerged under water. Today, it reveals a surprisingly diverse landscape that stretches from the coast to the peat meadows in the east. What makes this area so unique is the natural layering of landscapes that lie parallel to the shoreline. Starting at the beach, you move through dunes and ancient beach ridges with wooded country estates, then on to open coastal plains and wide peat meadows. Each landscape blends seamlessly into the next, a beautiful harmony between nature and culture. The beach ridges, elevated and dry, offered ideal conditions for settlement. It was here that farms, villages, and eventually towns and cities began to emerge.

Starting in the 17th century, wealthy citizens and members of the nobility were drawn to this lush region. They settled in old farmhouses and, inspired by the beauty of the landscape, built grand country houses and estates. In the 19th century, Prince Frederik of the Netherlands played a key role in uniting many of these estates into one large, leafy domain. Thanks to his efforts, the area was preserved as a green haven, even as nearby cities continued to expand. Today, it remains a peaceful retreat, where you can still truly experience the silence, the open space, and the echoes of the past.