Zuylen Castle ( ) is a Dutch castle at the village of

Oud-Zuilen Oud-Zuilen is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Stichtse Vecht, and lies about 4 km northwest of Utrecht. It is in an area called the "Vechtstreek". Zuylen Castle is located in the village. Hist ...

just north of the city of

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

. It is located along the river Vecht at the southern end of the

Vechtstreek The Vechtstreek (; ) is a region in the Dutch provinces of Utrecht and North Holland along the Vecht River between the towns of Utrecht and Amsterdam. Located in the economic heartland of the Netherlands, it is known for its natural environment a ...

. The castle was originally built in the 13th century by lord van Suilen en Anholt as a simple

donjon A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residenc ...

. In 1422 during the

Hook and Cod wars The Hook and Cod wars (; sometimes semi-anglicised as the wars of the Hoecks and the Cabbeljaws) comprise a series of wars and battles in the County of Holland between 1350 and 1490. Most of these wars were fought over who should hold the title ...

the castle was completely demolished. In 1510 rebuilding started. In 1752 the castle was modified for the last time. It holds a tapestry by the Delft

carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of Pile (textile), pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fiber, synthetic fibres such as polyprop ...

weaver Maximiliaan van der Gught. Its past inhabitants include

Steven van der Hagen Steven van der Hagen (Amersfoort, 1563 – 1624) was the first admiral of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He made three visits to the East Indies, spending six years in all there. He was appointed to the Council of the Indies. Van der ...

and Belle van Zuylen. Image:Zuylen.jpg, Slot Zuylen with serpentine wall Image:Slangenmuur.jpg, Serpentine wall (for fruits) Image:Toegangspoort.jpg, Entrance gate

References

*M. Bous, A. Estourgie, T. Fafianie ''et al.'' (2007), ''Maarssen. Geschiedenis en architectuur'', Kerkebosch, Zeist/SPOU, Utrecht, pages 331–344, *J.E.A.L. Struick, Zuilen. Utrecht, Het Spectrum, 1973. 122 p. *Kransber, D. & H. Mils, ''Kastelengids van Nederland, middeleeuwen'', Bussem 1979 () *Kalkwiek, K.A., A.I.J.M. Schellart, H.P.H. Jansen & P.W. Geudeke, ''Atlas van de Nederlandse kastelen'', Alphen aan den Rijn 1980 () *Helsdingen, H.W. van, ''Gids voor de Nederlandse kastelen en buitenplaatsen'', Amsterdam 1966 *Tromp, H.M.J., ''Kijk op kastelen'' Amsterdam 1979 ()

External links

Website of Zuylen Castle
{{Authority control Historic house museums in the Netherlands Castles in Utrecht (province) Museums in Utrecht (province) Rijksmonuments in Utrecht (province) Buildings and structures in Stichtse Vecht