Zuylen Castle (Dutch: ''Slot Zuylen'' - ) 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 fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Nethe ...

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

Vechtstreek The Vechtstreek () (Dutch for "Vecht area") 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 it ...

. The castle was originally built in the 13th century by lord

van Suilen en Anholt A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

as a simple

donjon A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') 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 ...

. In 1422 during the

Hook and Cod wars The Hook and Cod wars ( nl, Hoekse en Kabeljauwse twisten) comprise a series of wars and battles in the County of Holland between 1350 and 1490. Most of these wars were fought over the title of count of Holland, but some have argued that the u ...

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 attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester hav ...

weaver Maximiliaan van der Gught. Its past inhabitants include

Steven van der Hagen Steven van der Hagen (Amersfoort, 1563 – 1621) 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 Raad van Indië. Van der Hage ...

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