Spangen Castle

Spangen Castle is a former castle which was situated in the Overschie neighborhood of the city of Rotterdam, in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands.

Spangen Castle was first built in the early 13th century by the Lord of Uiternesse. At that time the castle would have been a sturdy stone tower on a motte, circled by a moat. It was named after a nearby stream. In 1359 this castle was partially destroyed during the Hook and Cod Wars.

Philips of Spangen inherited the castle and between 1385 and 1400 he had it rebuilt into a fortification with 5 towers. The Hook and Cod Wars raged on however and in 1426 the castle was again destroyed. This time by the troops of Willem Nagel, bailiff of Alkmaar and Kennemerland. Philips II of Spangen had the castle again rebuilt between 1443 and 1460.

In 1488, during the Jonker Frans War, the last war of the Hook and Cod Wars, Spangen Castle was looted and damaged by the troops of Frans van Brederode. Philips II of Spangen went to the Court of the Count of Holland to get his damages reimbursed but was only awarded a pittance.

Apparently the castle was repaired because in the mid-16th century it was habitable. The Sea Beggar William II de la Marck, Lord of Lumey, and his troops occupied the castle in 1572. Later that year it was destroyed by a band of criminals from Delft. In 1574 Spangen Castle was dealt its final blow when its remains were set on fire by Spanish troops, to prevent any future use. It was never rebuilt again.

Spangen Castle fell to ruin and gradually disappeared. Until the mid-19th century pieces of walls would still have been visible in the fields. By the early 20th century everything had disappeared. The area was annexed by the city of Rotterdam in 1941. Archaeological excavations, carried out in that same year, uncovered the foundations of the castle. Afterwards they were removed to make way for the new Bornisse harbor and an industrial zone.

At present nothing remains of Spangen Castle.

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