Assumburg

Slot Assumburg is a castle in the east of Heemskerk in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands.

The current castle dates from 1450. However, the many finds of Kloostermoppen (large medieval bricks), and pottery from earlier times made it quite certain that the current castle had a predecessor. In 2021 this was discovered by geophysical survey with Electromagnetic (EM) conductivity technique.

Just north of the current castle, there was a round castle bailey of 12 m diameter, surrounded by a moat. On it was a round brick tower of 9.5 m diameter. Historical records refer to a house with moat and a flattened hill. Between 1399 and 1446 this hill (motte) was leveled and replaced by an orchard.

It probably dates originally from the 13th century, but was renovated in 1546 and is named after the hamlet of Assum between Heemskerk and Uitgeest. It is assumed that demolition material from Oud Haerlem Castle was used in the construction, but that is not the case. The power that the castle radiates is also more apparent than reality. In fact it is an imitation of a medieval castle. The thin walls would not have withstood a siege. Such a castle is usually called a wings castle.

Assumburg Castle has been a noble residence for many centuries. After 1867 the castle remained uninhabited. The paneling and utensils were transferred to Marquette Castle. The environment also lost its former glory: the park around the castle disappeared. From 1911 until January 15, 2016, it was owned by the government. The castle was handed over to the state for one guilder with the obligation to restore the castle. The restoration commissioned by the Government Buildings Agency was finally completed around 1980. The nearby orangery had already been restored around 1965. In 1933 the Assumburg got its destination as a youth hostel.

With the exception of limited opening during Heritage Days, the castle itself is not open to the public. Next to the castle is the Assumburg nature and recreation park, which was created in 2003. From 2009, the 18th-century castle garden was restored to its original state and opened to the public in 2011. The castle garden includes a fruit orchard, a rose garden, a vegetable and herb garden and a large formal area with a courtyard pond.

This monument was transferred to the National Monuments Organization on January 15, 2016.

Text adapted from “Slot Assumburg” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Assumburg ranks #4,689 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #48 of the 201 mapped in Netherlands. Founded 1450, it is older than 49% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 454 atlas entries founded in the 15th century. 12 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Amsterdam, 20 km away. See how Netherlands compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗