Huis Dever Castle is a keep which was built in around 1375 by Reinier De Ever, a knight and vassal of the Count of Holland, Zeeland and Henegouwen; Albrecht van Beieren. It was situated on the border of the old dunes and the swampy inland. It consisted of the keep and a bailey surrounded by a broad moat.

In the 16th century a small extension was built against the round side. Therefore the moat between the keep and the bailey was filled in. This extension was later enlarged and the castle became a country mansion. The medieval tower was hidden out of sight at the back. People lived here till the 1750's after which it stood abandoned for almost a century.

Then in 1848 the 16th century extension collapsed and over the next five to ten years all but the tower was demolished by anyone needing building materials. The tower lost its roof during a storm in 1862, but the walls withstood all attempts at destruction by man and nature.

In 1945 the Dutch State gained ownership of the castle remains and sold it to the town of Lisse for fl 1,00. By the time restoration began in 1973 all timber had gone, windows and doorways were eroded with grass and brushwood was growing on the walls as you can see on the old postcard on the left. Only the cellar remained covered.

The castle has been open to the public since 1978. In 1989 the foundations of the 16th and 17th century extensions were raised just above ground level to show the groundplan of the complex.

Location and contact information

Heereweg 349a in Lisse, tel.nr. 0252-411430
Open: tuesday till sunday from 14:00 till 17:00. Closed on holidays.
No admission fee. Guided tours only on appointment.

Huis Dever Castle Links

• Mathieu in Wonderland
• Nederlandse Middeleeuwse Kastelen
• Raym's Fotosite
• Castles on the Web (1)
• Castles on the Web (2)

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