October 6, 2025 | 20:00 - 21:00 hrs.

650 years of democracy - a special lecture at Kasteel de Haar

This year the province of Utrecht is celebrating 650 years of democracy. On May 17, 1375, the Utrecht bishop Arnold of Horne drew up the Stichtse Landbrief together with representatives of the population. In this document agreements were made about cooperation and participation. It was the beginning of the States of the Nedersticht - the forerunners of our current Provincial States. These medieval agreements form the basis of democracy as we know it today.

During the lecture "De Stichtse Landbrieven" historian Renger de Bruin will take you to this important turning point in our history. He talks about the genesis of democracy in Utrecht and how it developed through the centuries.

Historian Renger de Bruin

Renger de Bruin (1956) studied history at Utrecht University and received his doctorate there in 1986. He worked as a lecturer and researcher at the universities of Utrecht, Leiden and Greifswald before becoming curator of urban history at the Centraal Museum Utrecht in 1994, a position he combined for a time with that of professor of Utrecht Studies. Since 2017, he has been a senior researcher at Utrecht University. Historian Renger de Bruin has written a book at the request of the province of Utrecht, in which he traces the development of the provincial government from the Stichtse Landbrief onward.

Democracy highlighted at Kasteel de Haar

The beginning of democracy is also visible in Kasteel de Haar. In the Main Hall you will find a large triptych window depicting the presentation of the Stichtse Landbrief. All around are the coats of arms of the 37 nobles who signed the document - including ancestors of Baron Etienne van Zuylen of Kasteel de Haar. Therefore, Kasteel de Haar - exactly 650 years after the Stichtse Landbrief - opens its doors for a special lecture on this historical turning point.

Visitor information

🕘 Date & Time: October 6, 2025 | 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.
📍 Location: Restaurant De Laverie, Castle de Haar
🎟️ Entrance: €6,- / free for members of the Historical Society Vleuten De Meern Haarzuilens and Leidsche Rijn

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