Netherlands · 14th century
Zuylestein Castle ranks #7,488 of 9,040 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #121 of the 198 mapped in Netherlands. Founded c. 1350, it is older than 54% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 758 atlas entries founded in the 14th century. 22 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Utrecht, 24 km away. See how Netherlands compares in the castle statistics.
Zuylestein Castle (Dutch Huis Zuylenstein; also spelt Zuylestein or Zuilenstein) is a castle near the town of Leersum in the Netherlands, some twenty miles east of the city of Utrecht.
The house itself dates to the fourteenth century, but only gained its municipal status in 1536. Originally the property of the burgomaster of Utrecht, the holding passed into the hands of Frederick Henry, then Prince of Orange, in 1630. He ceded the castle and its lands to his illegitimate son, Frederick, together with the title Lord of Zuylestein (in Dutch: Heer van Zuylestein) in 1640. The castle survived the ravages of the European wars that followed, but was severely damaged in the Second World War. In 1982, a new house in semi historical style was built on the spot where the former formal gardens were situated. Since 2011, the walled kitchen garden has been restored, being one of the best examples in the Netherlands of a late 17th century walled garden. The Zuylestein estate, including the gardens is now managed by the Twickel Foundation.
Text adapted from “Zuylestein Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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