Zevenbergen Castle

Zevenbergen Castle is a former castle which was situated in the town of the same name, in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands.

Zevenbergen Castle was built around 1290 by the Counts of Holland during their quarrels with Jan II, Duke of Brabant. It was inhabited by the Lords of Zevenbergen and was part of the defenses of the walled town of Zevenbergen.

The castle was damaged during the St. Elizabeth's Flood in 1421, but its keep (called the Lobbekens Tower) survived. In 1427, during the Hook and Cod Wars, the town and castle were taken, after a siege of 4 months, by Philip the Good, Duke of Brabant. After that, the castle was rebuilt.

Between 1572 and 1590, during the 80 Years' War, Zevenbergen Castle was occupied alternately by Spanish and Dutch troops. Dutch troops finally set fire to the castle to prevent it from being used by Spanish troops again. By then the Lords of Zevenbergen had already moved their residence and household elsewhere. When exactly the castle was destroyed by fire is not clear. Most sources name the year 1573 but also state that Spanish troops occupied the castle again the next year. A source from Leiden University names the year 1590. The burned out castle was rebuilt afterwards.

By 1606 it was in a dilapidated state and in 1648 it went to the House of Orange-Nassau. At the end of the 17th century it served as a prison for a while. 

In 1728, the Nassau Domain Council, decided to tear down the medieval Zevenbergen Castle. During the 4 years that followed, all the stones of the castle were used for strengthening the coastal defenses at the Western Scheldt river, near the village of Walsoorden.

Depictions of the castle show it to have been a rectangular, moated castle with at least one round corner tower and a large square keep.

At present nothing remains of Zevenbergen Castle.

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