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Kaiser Wilhelm II was forced to abdicate on the 9th of November, 1918, just before the end of the First World War. He fled with the rest of his family to The Netherlands, where he lived for the rest of his life. In 1919 he bought a small castle in Doorn, called "Huis Doorn". To stay in physical shape the Kaiser daily saw down trees. When he died in 1941, he saw down more than 40.000 trees. Giving the country-seat around the castle a look almost as barren as a World War 1 battlefield... During his exile in Doorn he wrote two volumes of autobiography: - Memoirs 1878-1918 (1922) - My Early Life (1926) Kaiser Wilhelm II died on June 4, 1941. He was buried in a small mausoleum on the lawn of Huis Doorn. In his will he ordered that his body must stay there until in Germany the monarchy is restored. In 1945 the Dutch government seized the castle and the household effects as being hostile German property. After being renovated the castle is turned into a museum, which can be visited daily. Visit http://www.huisdoorn.nl for opening hours. |
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