A beautiful location rich in history. Duke Charles of Gelre founded Biljoen castle, which came into the hands of the noble van Spaen family in 1661. In 1682, the adjoining Beekhuizen estate was added. In 1774, Baron J.F.W. van Spaen started a romantic park layout 'to let people, while wandering around, determine the landscape's mood'. In 1790, the estate opens to the public.
Along the Beekhuizensbeek, Hotel Beekhuizen opens in 1847, in Swiss chalet style. Many royal guests, poets and artists come to enjoy it generously, and poet Francois Haverschmidt (Piet Paaltjens) writes a collection about it: Souvenir Beekhuizen. In 1892, the hotel burns down.
After reconstruction, a large part of Biljoen & Beekhuizen was sold to become part of National Park Veluwezoom, the very first National Park in the Netherlands. Hotel Beekhuizen would remain privately owned and after complete new construction, again offers overnight stays at this historic site since 2020.
