Bouvigne Castle, Breda, Netherlands

Bouvigne Castle origins are not known. It appears in official documents for the first time in 1554, in the testament Jacob van Brecht. Here it is described as a stately stone building surrounded by water. Over time the castle has been extended. It began as a stone house to which a tower was added (between 1554 and 1611). Over the following three years further modifications were made to the building and the tower extended to its present height. This gave the form we see today.

The Van Brecht family are the first recorded owners of the Castle and their name can be found on tile work from c. 1494. They used the castle as a summer residence, living in the town during the rest of the year. In 1611, Jan Baptist Keermans became the owner. He was responsible for much of the rebuilding but did not enjoy the fruits of his labour since in 1614 the land passed into new hands of The Prince of Orange.

The family made little personal use of the castle which was used as a residence for their stewards. The building was poorly maintained and fell into disrepair and was eventually threatened with demolition. The local people fortunately prevented this in 1774. In 1775 Willem V gave up possession. Today Castle Bouvigne is owned by the Waterschap (the regional body responsible for waterways and the maintenance of water levels).

References:

Breda Nassau Stad

User Reviews

Hans Peter Verroen (7 years ago)
Prachtig Kasteel! Zeer goed onderhouden kasteeltuin. Vrij toegankelijk via Waterschapskantoor. Gewoon eens binnenlopen op een mooie zonnige dag!

Jan Molendijk (7 years ago)
Helaas waren ze gesloten, had graag wat rond gekeken daar. Nog maar eens terug gaan dus.

Michael S (7 years ago)
This place was one of the highlights of my trip to Breda. It has a small, beautiful and well maintained garden. Its different parts follow French, German or English styles. The entry point was a bit difficult to find, we did an entire circle around the castle and park before discovering one had to go through the adjacent office building to access the garden. The castle itself is off limits. Here's an interesting idea-- one can have weddings on the premises! This according to the brochure we we're given. Local staff was very friendly.

Richard Gomperts (8 years ago)
very nice castle, it has a wonderful garden, well maintain

Peter Schweinsberg (9 years ago)
Memories of our youth..

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Klearchos Kapoutsis

Historic Site of the week

Beckov Castle

The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.

The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.

The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.

The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.

Bouvigne Castle

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Beckov Castle