Sterkenburg Castle, Driebergen-Rijsenburg, Netherlands

Sterkenburg Castle was probably built in the mid-1200s as a moated round tower house by a Gijsbert van Wulven. The castle remained in the hands of the Van Wulven family until 1456 when it came into the possession of a Wouter van Ijzendoorn through marriage. It remained in their possession for the following hundred years. During their ownership the castle was rebuilt; a square tower was added and a curtain wall was built along the edges of the castle island creating a courtyard between the 2 towers and giving the castle a polygonal shape. Also the round tower was raised with extra floors.

In 1565 Sterkenburg Castle was owned by Reinier van Aeswijn, who was married to the last female Van Ijzendoorn descendant. He allowed a garrison of State troops to be quartered at the castle to protect it and the surrounding lands from the Spanish at the beginning of the 80-Years War. His son Antonie added a gatehouse to the bailey in 1626. In 1646 he left it to his nephew. This nephew however got murdered in the castle's woods in June 1647. This murder was never solved. The following decades Sterkenburg Castle changed ownership several times due to inheritance issues after a couple of untimely deaths.

In 1725 however the castle was bought by a member of the Mamuchet family. This family didn't live in the castle and it was rented out.

In 1741 the, by then decayed, castle was obtained by a member of the Van Westrenen family. The second Van Westrenen partially rebuild the castle's south side, opening up the courtyard demolishing the square tower and replacing it with a new wing on the old foundations.

In 1829 the castle was sold at a public auction to a PA. Hinlopen and his wife. They again sold the castle in 1848 to Karel Kneppelhout. He pulled down the entire castle, with exception of the round tower, and build a new house on the foundations. The round tower was provided with large windows and in 1867 he also added a square tower to the new wing. The present form of the castle is mainly the outcome of his rebuilding.

In 1978 the castle was again sold and used for private habitation. At present the castle can be rented for cultural activities and as an B&B. The castle has its own website at: Kasteel Sterkenburg.

References:

castles.nl

User Reviews

A D (8 months ago)
Lovely castle in beautiful surroundings. Excellent stay.

Roman Spradlin (8 months ago)
A fantastic opportunity to stay at an 800 year-old castle located less than an hour away from Amsterdam. Lord Alex was welcoming and accommodating, with fun stories about the castle, while Juric was a pleasure to get to know. You'll love the experience!

Vijay Bhardwaj (9 months ago)
Very agreeable place to stay. The ambiance and the receiption were superb. Joris, his conviviality, made all the difference in making a potentially ordinary stay into one that was nearly memorable. Only time will tell.

Yuri Gaidoukevich (10 months ago)
Very old castle in nice countryside. Living there is like going back to history. Our room was on top of the tower, narrow spriral stairs, thick brick walls, narrow windows for defending the castle. We also had access to the roof terrace with beautiful view around, watched sunset from there. Unforgettable experience!

Pepita di Corfu (2 years ago)
An amazing experience! Spectacular castle with beautiful surroundings and well preserved original rooms. We stayed at the tower, in the former knight’s room, and it was beautiful beyond our imagination. A good glimpse into the past, feeling and experiencing 13th century aura. Bring in your baggage some spooky mystery stories and you are ready to go! The hosts were lovely, kind, friendly and very helpful. Thank you for this unforgettable experience. Highly recommended

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Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

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