Celebrate Spring at Keukenhof

Celebrate Spring at Keukenhof

March 15, 2007

The World's Most Vibrant Springtime Park to Open Soon

    LISSE, The Netherlands, March 15 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
Just a few days to go until the most vibrant springtime park
in the world opens its gates for the new season. The theme
for this year's Keukenhof is "300 year Linnaeus, the
King of Flowers".

    Linnaeus, the famous Swedish botanist, studied and
earned a doctorate in the Netherlands at the Dutch
university in Harderwijk, the predecessor of what is now
Wageningen University of Life Sciences. 

    The centrepiece will be the Herbarium Amoris
photographic exhibition. The Keukenhof organisers chose
this theme to highlight the enormous importance of Linnaeus
to the bulb-growing industry and have linked it to
Dutch-Swedish relations. We are proud and honoured that
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has consented to perform
the opening ceremony. 

    The theme of Dutch-Swedish relations will be further
developed with a wonderful flower mosaic of Pippi
Longstocking, measuring 11 x 16 metres, as well as a number
of inspirational gardens designed by Swedish magazines. A
famous Swedish home furnishings store has financed the
lay-out of these gardens and the 'period rooms' in
partnership with the International Bulb Centre.

    Garden enthusiasts and nature lovers can celebrate
spring at Keukenhof from 22 March till 20 May, when the
32-hectare park will be a feast for the eyes with a
staggering 7 million bulbs in full bloom, flowering shrubs,
centuries-old trees and ornamental lakes with fountains.
Again, each path leads to a spectacular tableau. 

    Keukenhof offers untold opportunities for amateur and
professional photographers, and art devotees will love the
pieces by famous Dutch and foreign artists strategically
placed around the park. The oldest part of the park
provides the setting for "De Stoel" (the chair),
a project by some 25 artists, each with his/her very own
interpretation of the same theme. Sculptures by Carl
Milles, one of Sweden's greatest artists, are on show in
the spring meadow. 

    There's lots of fun in store for children in the
playground and the petting zoo, not to mention the
challenging 'brainbox' puzzle trail. Tiny tots will be
enthralled by the Teletubbies garden. Royalty watchers can
feast their eyes on an exhibition of Royal Hats, which have
actually adorned royal heads. Top international millinery
designers have been invited to exhibit creations inspired
by the Royal Hats theme. An international jury will
announce the winner during the traditional Easter Parade on
Easter Monday (9 April). 

    Keukenhof is also an ideal destination for travellers
with a stopover in the Netherlands; direct buses from
Schiphol and Leiden can bring them to the springtime
extravaganza in Lisse in less than thirty minutes. There is
no better way to start the season ...


    NOTE TO EDITORS:  
    For more information and visual material: 
    Stichting Internationale Bloemententoonstelling
Keukenhof
    Annemarie M.M. Gerards-Adriaansens
    PR Manager
    Tel:   [phone]
    Fax:   [phone]
    Email: [e-mail]  
    Web:   http://www.keukenhof.nl 

    For more information, please contact:

     Annemarie M.M. Gerards-Adriaansens
     PR Manager
     Keukenhof
     Tel:   [phone]
     Fax:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]