Groot Poelgeest

Groot Poelgeest was a castle near Koudekerk aan den Rijn in the Dutch province of South Holland. It was a round moated castle. Now only one of the towers and a coach house from 1648 remain.

The origin of Groot Poelgeest is uncertain. Older literature attributes the construction around 1250 to Dirk van Poelgeest, but historical research has qualified this view. Feudal registers show that Dirk van Poelgeest acquired the already existing castle of te Hoorne in 1326. He then surrendered it to the Count of Holland in order to receive it back as a fief, after which it became known as Groot Poelgeest. Only in 1331 did he acquire the ambacht of Koudekerk by purchase. Thus the Van Poelgeest family does not appear to have been the original founder of the castle.

According to the historian W.A. Beelaerts van Blokland, the castle was originally the property of the Van der Hoorn(e) family. Although few historical records of this family have survived, various medieval field names in the area, such as Ghijsbrechts were van der Hoirn and the Hornenweer, point to a long-standing presence of this family in the area. The name te Hoorne would therefore refer to this family or to the castle's location on a spit of land or corner (horn) at the confluence of the Oude Rijn and the Lagenwaardse Wetering.

Beelaerts van Blokland considers it likely that the castle already existed before its acquisition by Dirk van Poelgeest and was possibly founded in the 13th century within the sphere of power of the lords of Teylingen and later Brederode, who had extensive possessions in Koudekerk.

The house was partly destroyed in 1420 during the Hook and Cod Wars, possibly under the leadership of Albrecht Beiling, but also later in the Eighty Years' War, when the lords of Poelgeest sided with William of Orange.

Because of debts, Gerrit van Poelgeest had to sell the castle in 1692.

Machine-translated from “Groot Poelgeest” on the Dutch Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Groot Poelgeest ranks #7,381 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #184 of the 200 mapped in Netherlands. Founded 1200, it is older than 77% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 544 atlas entries founded in the 12th century. 16 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is The Hague, 20 km away. See how Netherlands compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia (in Dutch) ↗