Kasteel Drakensteyn

Netherlands, Netherlands

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Kasteel Drakensteyn is a distinctive 17th-century octagonal moated castle near Lage Vuursche in Baarn municipality, Utrecht province, Netherlands, built from 1640-1643 in classicist Baroque style possibly designed by Jacob van Campen for nobleman Gérard van Reede.

Replacing a medieval manor first mentioned in 1359, its symmetrical brick structure features two main floors, a plastered exterior, a truncated pyramid roof with dormers, a central belvedere lantern, and a classical arched portal accessed by bridge over the circular moat.

Owned by various nobles before Princess Beatrix purchased it in 1959—residing there as princess until 1980 and returning post-2013 abdication—it remains her private residence amid landscaped grounds, occasionally visible from afar but not open to the public.