The Princessehof

In the heart of Leeuwarden's historic city center stands the 18th-century city palace of Maria Louise of Hesse-Kassel, Princess of Orange-Nassau, ancestor of King Willem-Alexander. The world-famous MC Escher was also born in the same building.

The museum is free for children up to and including 17 years old.

In the heart of Leeuwarden's historic city center stands the 18th-century city palace of Maria Louise of Hesse-Kassel, Princess of Orange-Nassau, ancestor of King Willem-Alexander. Moreover, the world-famous graphic artist MC Escher was born in the same building in 1898. You enter the museum via the garden on Groeneweg, adjacent to the Prinsentuin. Two exhibitions on the ground floor offer a glimpse into the lives of these two famous residents of the Princessehof.

It becomes clear from Maria Louise that she was crucial in preserving the Orange dynasty. Would there still have been a royal house without her? In the small exhibition *At Home with MC Escher* , visitors get to know the young Maurits Escher. Through childhood photos and objects, the bond between Escher and the Princessehof becomes clearer than ever. One of the world's best 3D street artists , Leon Keer, also created a large mural on the wall and ceiling inspired by Escher's work *Concave and Convex*. With his three-dimensional translation of the work, Keer creates optical illusions in the vaulted cellar space of Escher's birthplace.

In addition to its remarkable former residents, the National Ceramics Museum is now housed in the Princessehof. Alongside changing, high-profile exhibitions, you will find rare imperial porcelain from China and beautiful Art Nouveau ceramics. Or view iconic Delft Blue and works by artists such as Picasso and Karel Appel.