BAARN

baarn, a small town in the province of utrecht, holland, 5 m. by rail e. of hilversum, at the junction of a branch line to utrecht. like hilversum it is situated in the midst of picturesque and wooded surroundings, and is a favourite summer resort of people from amsterdam. the baarnsche bosch, or wood, stretches southward to soestdyk, where there is a royal [v.03 p.0091] country-seat, originally acquired by the state in 1795. louis bonaparte, king of holland, who was very fond of the spot, formed a zoological collection here which was removed to amsterdam in 1809. in 1816 the estate was presented by the nation to the prince of orange (afterwards king william ii.) in recognition of his services at the battle of quatre bras. since then the palace and grounds have been considerably enlarged and beautified. close to baarn in the south-west were formerly situated the ancient castles of drakenburg and drakenstein, and at vuursche there is a remarkable dolmen.