Borg Nienoord

After your visit to the manor house, a visit to the adjacent garden pavilion – also known as the Schelpengrot – is a must. The story of this remarkable grotto dates back to the year 1700, when travelling artists from Venice, Italy, decorated the interior of this luxurious garden pavilion with a stunning shell mosaic. The result is breathtakingly beautiful. The dome bears the name ‘Schelpengrot’, presumably because ‘grotto’ means ‘mosaic room’ in Italian.

Since 1958, Borg Nienoord has been home to the National Carriage Museum. This remarkable museum houses one of the largest collections of carriages in Europe. Royal carriages, including the oldest Orange carriage, hay wagons, funeral carriages; you name it, you’ll find it here. Unique to the collection are the two surviving tow carriages, which date back to a time when the tax on carriage wheels was so high that carriages were driven without wheels. Instead of wheels, the carriages were fitted with grease-lubricated runners, popularly known as ‘smeerlappen’. Especially for young children, there are carriages on display where, dressed in period costumes from the fancy dress box, they can experience what it was like to ride in a carriage in days gone by. It’s really exciting and great fun to capture the moment in a photo for later.

During or after your unforgettable adventure at the manor, a cup of coffee with a tasty treat is sure to be just the thing. To enjoy this, settle down in the manor’s cosy Garden Room. If you’re feeling peckish, you can also enjoy a delicious lunch or dinner here. On a sunny day, the spacious terrace offers an enchanting view of the vast estate.

On the estate right next to the manor house, you can enjoy a lovely walk in the stunning contemporary garden, which has been laid out to evoke the atmosphere of days gone by. Behind the manor house lies a large family park with a spacious playground and a petting farm where young children can let off steam to their heart’s content. You can slide down the slide into the water, play, swim and float about in the water at Nienoord’s subtropical ‘Zwemkasteel’. In short, there’s never enough time at Landgoed Nienoord .