According to the House of Representatives, the king must still open Kroondomein Het Loo to the public all year round. A proposal in which the king is asked for “a generous gesture” received broad support from the MPs.
A part of the nature reserve near Apeldoorn is closed every year for three months, officially because of the protection of the “personal life” of the king. It is suspected that it has to do with the king’s desire to hunt game in the area. According to the Government Information Service, the king hunts one half-day every year.
Subsidy
For years there have been protests against the partial closure in the autumn and against the subsidy that the king receives to maintain the area. In September, the cabinet decided that the King may no longer close Het Loo if he applies for a subsidy again.
In response, the king then only applied for a subsidy for the part where he doesn’t hunt. The other part of the nature reserve near Apeldoorn can still be closed to the public in this way.
Enjoying in corona time
This was reason for D66 and the Party for the Animals to once again call on the king to keep the entire area accessible. “Parliament makes a friendly appeal to him to open up his crown domains,” says D66 MP De Groot. “Because people want to enjoy nature extra in these corona times.”
It is not the first time that the House of Representatives has argued for the opening of Het Loo. Three years ago, a majority of the House made it also a point of.
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