The castle of Doornenburg in the eponymous place Doornenburg, the Netherlands, near Arnhem. One of the oldest castles in the Netherlands, but not original, because of big restorations in the latest century.
The Doronburc was already mentioned in the 9th century. Probably the fortress served as a defense against the Normans. In 1255 the domain turns out to be in possession of the Gelderland digs. In 1295, a gentleman of the Doornenburg was mentioned for the first time, Willem van Doornick, Gelders headman.
In that period Gijsbrecht van Amstel, complicit in the murder of the Dutch count Floris V in 1296, would have sought refuge from Amsterdam on the Doornenburg. Perhaps the story is doubtful and was probably constructed in the 16th century when the Van Amstel family inherited the castle.
As far as we know, the castle was never occupied by siege. During the Dutch Revolt (80-year war of 1568-1648) the lord followed faithfully and without a struggle the party change of the Gelderland states.
The Doornenburg has been inhabited by the successive genera Van Doornick, Van Bylandt, Van Homoet, Van Voorst, Van Amstel, Van Heemskerk and Van Bemmel. The last inhabitant was Maria Clara von Delwig, Baroness van Bemmel. She died in 1847 at a very old age. After that, the castle was owned for a long time by the Van der Heijden family. However, they never occupied the castle, causing the building to fall into serious decline. In 1936, textile industry J.H. van Heek from Enschede the castle and founded the Foundation for Conservation of the Doornenburg, in which the castle was housed. In 1937 Van Heek started the restoration that was completed in 1941.
He did not have much pleasure from the restoration. In the last half of the Second World War, the Betuwe was in the Allied front line; the castle served as the headquarters for the Germans. In January and March 1945 the English Air Force bombed the lock. In the first air attack several buildings of the castle were destroyed. The second attack was disastrous for the castle. There was a big mess. Extra acid was that the Allies did not know that the Germans had already left. Kasteel Doornenburg is part of the Liberation Route Europe.
After the war Van Heek started again from the beginning. With the help of the government and various private individuals, the foundation De Doornenburg gradually got back to full recovery (1947-1966). Then the robust castle was again in full glory. A great convenience in this rebuilding was that the foundation had access to the experiences it had gained during the first restoration. Moreover, many builders were present at both the first and second restoration loops.
GUIDED TOUR
A visit to the main castle is a special experience. The main castle is not freely accessible to the public but you can let yourself be guided by one of our enthusiastic guides in medieval clothing. Our guides tell you about the rich history of the castle. A tour of the castle takes about 5 minutes. After the tour you can enjoy a nice cup of coffee in the coffee room of Herberg de Doornenburg. The castle's courtyard is freely accessible.
We point out that no dogs are allowed in the main castle with the exception of guide dogs and official assistance dogs.
The main castle is not accessible to wheelchair users due to the large number of stairs.
Entrance fees including tour
Adults € 9.75
Child 4 to 13 years: € 5.75
Holders of a museum card: free of charge
FLORIS
The castle is of course also known from the television series "Floris" from the 60s.
"Floris" was a very popular Dutch television series. The leading roles were played by Rutger Hauer (Floris), and Jos Bergman (Sindala). The twelve black and white episodes were broadcast in 1969 by the NTS and have been repeated several times.
All information from the website of the castle (in Dutch):
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visit link)