1935
On 19 April 1935,
Duinrell opened for
the public for the fi rst
time. The guests could
visit restaurant the
Schaapskooi and the
Oranjerie for something
to eat and a nice
cup of tea.
1938
On 30 October 1938,
something very special
happened. The fi rst ski
run in the Netherlands
was opened. And the
most extraordinary thing
was: at Duinrell, you weren’t
skiing on snow but
on pine needles.
THE DUINRELLTIME
MACHINE
STEP INTO THE TIME MACHINE AND TRAVEL BACK TO 19 APRIL 1935.
THIS IS THE DAY THAT DUINRELL OPENED FOR THE PUBLIC FOR
THE FIRST TIME. AND FROM THAT MOMENT ONWARDS, A LOT
HAS HAPPENED ON OUR WONDERFUL ESTATE. READ ALONG!
1959
H.R.J. Count van Zuylen van Nij evelt married his Clarine, and as a
wedding gift, they got 10 hectares of land at Duinrell. He opened a bank
account in the name of Camping Duinrell, and the fi rst real camping
site at Duinrell was a fact. Nevertheless, the area was not exploited right
away as the two lovebirds fi rst went to Singapore for three years. When
they returned, the camping site was offi cially opened with a huge party.
From then on, the family has always lived at Duinrell.
The brand new camping site director at the entrance of Duinrell.
1978
This year, a very
special guest was
introduced at
Duinrell: Rick
the Frog. And...
he never left.
Thankfully not!
This year, the Oranjerie
will be transformed into a
family home. Quickly go
the next page for more!
Philip Count van Zuylen van
Nij evelt accidentally discovered
that you can ski perfectly on
a bed of pine needles.
1968
The outdoor pool was
a major investment, but
H.R.J. Count van Zuylen
van Nij evelt made it
very clear: "A camping
site needs to have a
swimming pool." And so
the pool was built.
The frog has been attending
every offi cial moment
since 1978. He didn’t get
his name until 1997, thanks
to a contest: Rick the Frog.
WHO IS WHO?
Landowner Philip Count van Zuylen van Nij evelt opened country estate Duinrell for the public in
1935. When his son H.R.J. Count van Zuylen van Nij evelt married, he was given a plot of land as
a wedding gift and he later became the Executive Director of the entire estate. The couple got
three children, daughter Savine and sons Philip and Roderick. In 2000, his sons jointly took over
the business. Since 2018, Philip van Zuylen van Nij evelt retains the role of Executive Director,
and Roderick van Zuylen van Nij evelt has joined the Supervisory Board.
6 B. The streams that used to carry the dune water through the dunes to the low-lying village. Such a stream is called a ‘duinrel’ C. The palace ‘Paleis Op den Rell’ that was