First Lady of Poland to Open Keukenhof Gardens
In the afternoon of Wednesday 21 March, Mrs Anna Komorowska, First Lady of Poland, will open the Keukenhof International Flower Exhibition in Lisse accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of The Netherlands.
It is Springtime, there is a lot of organic activity going on under the ground at Keukenhof in Lisse. Around seven million flowering bulbs have been planted during the past months and as spring breaks, these will provide the traditional colorful splendor of the international flowering bulb exhibition.
In the period from 22 March to 20 May 2012, a colourful tribute will be paid to Poland, an important export market for flowering bulbs. In 2011 around 900.000 visitors passed through the gates of Keukenhof.
Poland-Heart of Europe is the theme for Keukenhof 2012. Highlights this year are the exhibition Surprising Poland, the flowering bulb mosaic of Frederic Chopin and a special theme route.
Keukenhof was originally the herb garden (“keuken” means kitchen in Dutch) of the Countess of Holland, Jacoba van Beyeren (1401-1436). In 1840, the horticultural architects Zocher, a father and son, designed the park that forms the basis of the current Keukenhof. They also designed the noted Vondelpark in Amsterdam.
Keukenhof is the showcase of the Dutch horticultural industry, with emphasis on flowering bulbs. The exhibitions and events in the park interrelate a host of Dutch items in the field of culture and the arts.
Keukenhof will be opening its gates to the public for the 63rd time on Thursday 22 March 2012. When the gates close eight weeks later, once again many guests from all over the world will have visited Keukenhof, making Keukenhof a significant contributor to the success of the tourist industry in the Netherlands and this region in particular. If you haven’t seen Keukenhof, you haven’t seen Holland, it’s said.
