The Royal Barge at the National Maritiime Museum

The Royal Barge, can be compared to the golden coach, but in the water. The ship was designed for King William I and was built between 1816 and 1818. King Willi...
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The Royal Barge, can be compared to the golden coach, but in the water. The ship was designed for King William I and was built between 1816 and 1818. King William I never used it himself. It was up to King William II to use it for the first time during his inauguration in 1841. By now, the Royal Barge has been used some thirty times for state visits and other official occasions. Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard used the Royal Barge for the last time during the celebration of their silver wedding anniversary in 1962.
With a length of seventeen meters, the Royal Barge is not only long, but also very slender and richly decorated with gold-leaf ornaments. Neptune and his three sea horses decorate the bow. Neptune is of course the symbol for the greatness of the head of state, but also of a safe voyage. The barge is decorated with numerous other, smaller ornaments such as crabs and water plants.
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