|
Updated: 16-dec-2009
|
A little historyDen Ham Castle is situated near the town of Vleuten and can be seen from the railway line Woerden-Utrecht. Den Ham Castle evolved from a towerhouse to a square castle. I don't know when it was built, because one source says a stone house at this site was first mentioned in 1325 and another one says it was build in the 12th century. Who can help me out?
The keep, on a little islet, partly dates to the 13th century but was raised in 1642. It is now 7 storeys high,
10 meters long and 9 meters wide. The thickness of its walls varies from 1.40 m to 1.80 m. Beneath it is a vaulted
cellar in which remains of a fireplace and a prison were found. Above this cellar the storeys had wooden floors.
They all had fireplaces. The first floor seems to have been the kitchen because the remains of a sink were found
there. But in 1870 the entire
The castle has stood empty for quite some years but is now privately inhabited. Location and contact information
At Hamlaan 1 in Vleuten. Den Ham Castle Links |
It was the home of the Utenham family. The castle was severely damaged in 1481. And in 1482 one of their members;
Frederik Utenham was beheaded when he had chosen the side of the bishop David of Burgundy in a conflict between
the bishop and the citizens of Utrecht.
castle was torn down except the 27 meter high keep we see today. Southeast of the keep there are remains of the
medieval extensions of which traces can be seen on the outside of the keep. In 1943 the roof of the keep was
made impermeable to rainwater to prevent further damage.