Netherlands · 14th century
Huys Dever ranks #7,614 of 9,040 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #130 of the 198 mapped in Netherlands. Founded 1375, it is older than 53% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 758 atlas entries founded in the 14th century. 18 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is The Hague, 25 km away. See how Netherlands compares in the castle statistics.
The Huys Dever is a small castle in Lisse, Netherlands. It was probably built shortly after 1375 by Reinier Dever or d'Ever, a member of an old noble family from Holland.
The castle was a typical stronghold that was at one time situated on the edge of a lake called the Lisser Poel (since poldered in) that itself was in connection to the Haarlemmermeer (itself a polder since in 1853). In 1630 a stately home was built on to the tower and became a summer residence, but after the Haarlem Lake was poldered in the 19th century it fell into disuse and became a ruin. In 1973 restoration began and the roof was built in the manner of 16th century carpentry.
The building houses a small archeological museum with finds dug up in the former moat around the building. It has been voted a very important rijksmonument for its early medieval remains. The building is open to visitors Wednesday-Sunday 14:00-17:00, and can be rented for events.
Text adapted from “Huys Dever” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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