Slot Zeist

Slot Zeist was built between 1677 and 1686 for Willem Adriaan van Nassau-Odijk, a relative of William III, in a French-influenced baroque manner - a central block with two wings enclosing a cour d'honneur, on an axis through formal gardens - and it is one of the more complete late seventeenth-century palace layouts in the country. In 1745 the estate was bought by the Moravian Brethren, the Herrnhut community, who built two large blocks either side of the forecourt, the brothers' and sisters' houses, and laid out a settlement around them with workshops, a hall and a burial ground with flat identical stones. The Moravian community is still there, which makes Zeist one of the few working Herrnhut settlements in western Europe. The palace itself is now used for events, weddings and concerts, with guided tours on set dates, and the park is public.

What you actually see

• A baroque palace of the 1680s - central block and wings on a formal garden axis.
• A Moravian settlement - brothers' and sisters' houses built beside it from 1745.
• A burial ground of flat stones - identical markers in the Herrnhut manner.
• A community still there - one of the few working Moravian settlements in the west.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The palace is an events venue - interior access is on limited tour dates and weddings close it. The Moravian buildings are a living community, not a museum. The park is free and open.

Nearby

Utrecht is west; the Utrechtse Heuvelrug is east.