The origins of De Haar Castle can be found in the Middle Ages. The medieval house was founded in the 14th century. In the 15th century the castle was destroyed and rebuilt with its still existing pentagonal floor plan. During the 18th and 19th centuries the castle was abandoned and fell to ruin. The young owner baron Etienne van Zuylen van Nijevelt van de Haar acquired the ruin by inheritance in the late 19th century. He decided to rebuild and restore his ancestral home with grandeur.