Kasteel de Wittenburg has long since ceased to be the inward-looking gentlemen's club of days gone by. Ralf Meppelder, director of the nineteenth-century mansion for almost a decade, literally opened the windows and doors there for hundreds of large and smaller gatherings every year. From weddings to television recordings, but especially corporate events. "Yet it remains that same location with grandeur," he immediately adds. "We are still exclusive, just look around at those beautiful spaces."

Wittenburg

Not surprisingly, companies from home and abroad know how to find the chic castle: de Wittenburg is versatile. "Whether it's a meeting with a few people or a reception for several hundred guests, we have a suitable solution for everything," says Meppelder.

"With five monumental rooms and a number of smaller meeting rooms in the castle - which we can connect in many ways - no day here looks the same."

Director Ralf Meppelder and event manager Eline Tahaparij host hundreds of events at the Wittenburg every year.

View through to the garden and terrace.

Then there is the Oranje-Nassau Hall, the modern annex of over 250 square metres that serves for theatre and conferences, among other things. A technical feat that these times demand. "We have a large LED screen, an adjustable stage, spotlights, an excellent sound system," lists event manager Eline Tahaparij. "People can also participate in video conferences remotely. And if additional technology is needed, we are assured of quality with our regular partner."

Restaurant Sophie

Of course, the inner man is also thought of during all these events. The brigade of the indoor restaurant Sophie (named after the baroness who once inhabited the castle with her squire Speelman) provides an amuse, lunch or full dinner. "Down to overnight stays in one of the ten hotel rooms, it's all possible," he says. "And the flexibility of the castle combined with the conservatory and garden means we are always prepared for the Dutch weather."

Restaurant Sophie.

The potential of the surrounding estate has only really been discovered by the director of Kasteel de Wittenburg in corona time. "We are doing more and more outside," he notes. "Many companies go to the Veluwe or abroad for a healing session, but you can also get away from it all just a stone's throw from the city.

There are great cycling routes, museums like Voorlinden and Louwman are around the corner, and if you want, we can go on the pond behind here with an event. Recently, we even had a personal trainer here giving his yoga session in the garden."

Champagne

But one of the most special memories of recent times for Tahaparij is a drive-through staff party at Microsoft. "Thirteen hundred people spread over three days," explains the event manager. "We welcomed people in their own cars, after which they were given a few amuses at the estate with a welcome cocktail and champagne. On departure, they were given the main course and dessert to take home, including a QR code for an instructional video from our chef. That was cool!"

Orange-Nassau Hall

The first events in the 'new old normal' are already over. And being outdoors is not lacking either. "Our wine importer Kwast Wijnkopers organised a large overview tasting for three hundred guests in the Oranje-Nassau Hall," says Meppelder. "In doing so, we created a special routing around the castle, allowing people to experience much more of the venue." He notes with satisfaction, "Yes, the Wittenburg is buzzing more and more."

www.wittenburg.nl