Keukenhof Gardens

Keukenhof means The Kitchen Garden.  In the 15th Century this area consisted of woods and dunes and belonged to the Countess of Holland, Jacoba van Beieren. Here games were hunted and herbs gathered for the castle's kitchen. The present Keukenhof Park started in 1840 and was initially designed by horticultural architects Zochter, father and son. In 1949, Mayor of Lisse Mr. Lambooy, with dozens of prominent flower bulb and tulip growers, developed the idea for an open-air flower exhibition and started the flower garden of Keukenhof of today.