Riviere Castle

Riviere Castle, locally known as Huis te Riviere (House at the River), lies in the center of the city of Schiedam, in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands.

Riviere Castle was first mentioned in 1275 and was probably built a decade earlier by Adelaide of Holland, Countess of Hainaut. It was built in a new polder next to the river Schie. As the polder was known by the name Mathenesse, the castle was historically better known as Mathenesse Castle.

During the Hook and Cod Wars, the castle was destroyed twice. First in 1351 by the townspeople of Delft, who were on the Cod side. By then it was a property of the Van Mathenesse family who were Hooks, who then rebuilt it on a smaller scale. Afterward, the family changed to the Cod side. The castle was then again destroyed in 1426 by the troops of the Hook captain William Nagel.

Riviere Castle was rebuilt again and residential wings were built up against the old keep. In 1574, during the 80 Years' War, it was garrisoned by Dutch troops. During their stay in the castle a fire broke out, twice, causing serious damage. After the garrison left, the castle's remains were torn down by the townspeople of Schiedam to prevent it from being of any strategic use for Spanish troops. It was never rebuilt, and by 1598 it was described as a ruin.

Originally the castle consisted of a strong square keep within a rectangular moated enclosure, as archaeological excavations proved in the 1990s. What remains today is mostly the ruined keep and some connected foundations. After the excavations, the local council built an office building right up against the castle ruin and on top of the former enclosure, completely dwarfing it.

The ruin of Riviere Castle can not be accessed, but is easily seen from the public road. I really dislike how the local council treated this historic monument, as it is now tucked away between the backside of an ugly office building, completely detonating with the ruin, and a parking lot. A disgrace.

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