Netherlands · 13th century
Ravesteyn Castle (Dutch: Kasteel Ravesteyn or Slot Heenvliet) is a castle in Heenvliet, South Holland. The castle was likely built circa 1250, and was in use until being destroyed during the Eighty Years' War. The castle ruins are part of a protected garden.
Ravesteyn Castle was built in the mid-13th century by Hugo, Lord of Heenvliet. Ravensteyn Castle was one of 5 fortified structures built in the area and would be the only one to survive. The two story castle was occupied for several centuries. A residential wing was added to the castle in the 14th-century, and that same century the fortification burned to its foundations before being rebuilt.
The castle continued to serve as a prison and military fortification during the 16th-century; notably, one source noted that Dutch priest Angelus Merula was once imprisoned in the castle. The castle was intentionally destroyed in 1572 by Dutch Sea Beggars during the Dutch revolt against Spain in order to keep the castle from being used by the Spanish army. The castle ruins and moat remain near Heenvliet and are part of protected garden.
Text adapted from “Ravesteyn Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Slot Ravesteyn ranks #7,897 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #142 of the 199 mapped in Netherlands. Founded c. 1250, it is older than 67% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 1080 atlas entries founded in the 13th century. 10 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Rotterdam, 17 km away. See how Netherlands compares in the castle statistics.
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