Aastein Castle

Aastein Castle was a former castle situated east of the village of Nieuwer ter Aa, in the province of Utrecht, in the Netherlands.

Aastein Castle was first mentioned in 1394. It was probably built earlier in the century to replace Ter Aa Castle, located 700 meters to the northwest, at a bend in the river Aa. Ter Aa Castle, with a circular layout, was older, dating back to at least before 1156, and was probably no longer considered suitable by the Van der Aa family. They were an important family in this region and owned several castles, namely Ter Aa, Aastein, and Clarenborg.

In the late 15th century, the castle came into the possession of Gerrit van Renesse through his marriage to Agniese van der Aa. In 1666, Lady Anna van Renesse van der Aa sold the three family castles together. A year later, they were sold together again, this time to Frederik van Renesse van Moermont, Lord of Zuileveld.

Aastein Castle was destroyed by French troops in 1673 during the Franco-Dutch War. Since the old castle had lost its military purpose and was situated next to a silted-up river, it was never rebuilt. The castle ruins were left to decay, and every trace of the castle disappeared during the 18th century.

Depictions show it to have been a square tower house with a rectangular Bailey, all surrounded by a moat.

Currently, nothing of Aastein Castle remains above ground. The site is now occupied by a farm and grassland.

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