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Updated: 16-dec-2009
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Loevestein Castle is a well-known castle in the Netherlands and a popular destination for a lot of school trips.
Loevestein Castle was built somewhere between 1357 and 1368 by a Dirk Loef van Horne, who was then Lord of Altena and an unloyal vassal of the Count of Holland. His name may well explain the name of the castle; the stone house of Loef (with stein being an old word for stone). With possessing the castle came the right to charge tolls from passing ships. In 1385 regent Albrecht van Beieren took over possession of the castle and appointed his trustee Brunstijn van Herwijnen as the castle's keeper. At this time the castle was strengthened but when this Brunstijn became to powerful the castle was besieged for 15 days by another trustee of Albrecht; Willem van Oostervant. During this siege a corner tower and part of the curtain wall had collapsed. Willem gained the castle's fief as a reward. After his death in 1417 he was succeeded by his daughter Jacoba van Beieren. She then used the castle for the first time as a prison for political opponents. Until 1449 there was a lot of turmoil in the regions politics and a couple of keepers succeeded one another. During the following hundred years the castle saw some skirmishes but nothing major.
From 1614 on the castle was used as a state prison. In 1619 a famous Dutch scholar; Hugo de Groot, was imprisoned in the castle together with his wife and daughter to serve a life term sentence. In 1621 however he managed to escape from the castle by hiding in a big wooden bookcase which was being brought out of the castle. Other prisoners were: a captured English vice-admiral; George Ayscue (1666), several Dutch mayors who surrendered their towns to the French without fighting (1700's) and during the French occupation until 1813, Spanish, Russian and English prisoners of war.
In the 16th century an earthwork fortress was put up around the castle of which some can still be seen today. In the 19th century the castle was incorporated into a new and enlarged earthwork fortress which made the castle an important stronghold in the New Holland Waterline (a line of defensive works using water throughout the western part of Holland). Loevestein Castle lost its military function in 1952.
Opposite the village of Woudrichem, where the rivers Maas and Waal meet. It can be reached by little ferries
from Woudrichem and Gorinchem. The fortress surrounding the castle can be visited free of charge. The castle
itself can only be visited with a guided tour, tel.nr. 0183-447171. Loevestein Castle Links |
A little history
In 1570 the castle was taken by cunning; 8 Calvinist rebels disguised as monks, managed to get into the castle
and quickly shot the keeper of the castle. Two days later they were joined by another 10 of their fellows.
The plan was to wait for reinforcements coming from Germany and try to take over the nearby cities of
Woudrichem and Gorinchem to rebel against the then Spanish rule under Count Alva. Alas, the reinforcements
never made it because of wintery conditions and a small Spanish army recaptured the castle after a short siege.
The rebel leader committed suicide by setting fire to his room. The Spanish later decapitated his corpse and
nailed his head to the gallows in 's-Hertogenbosch.
From then until 1589 the castle changed hands between the Spanish and the rebels (called the 'Geuzen') once
more and never came under Spanish rule again.
Other occupants were a battalion of Scottish mercenaries around 1750 who left some murals in their living
quarters.
Location and contact information