Still Life by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Still Life

Page 32

Rothschild in 1887 brought the financial muscle needed to resurrect the ruins. Architect Pierre Cuypers, famed for Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum and Central Station, was commissioned to rebuild the castle between 1892 and 1912. Cuypers infused the structure with neo-Gothic flair, blending medieval homage with modern luxury; electricity, central heating, a Turkish bath, and even a passenger elevator, luxuries that outshone the Dutch royal residences of the time. The castle boasts 200 rooms and 30 bathrooms. Though only a select few were open to the public then most are now open to the guests staying here in the hotel wing. The surrounding formal gardens, inspired by Versailles, include waterworks and over 7,000 trees, choreographed to echo the castle's theatrical symmetry. Today, De Haar is a living museum of aristocratic nostalgia, a stage for seasonal rituals and curated memory.”

At the pause, Finn asked; “Where did you learn this?”

Susie, who had some sort of instinct for not harping on her being a Yaley, as it tends to alienate while also generating seemed agreement, had no such consideration with Finn, as he already knew. She replied; “That’s the sort of thing taught at Yale.”