Zevenbergen Castle

Zevenbergen Castle was a former castle located in the town of the same name in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands.

Built around 1290 by the Counts of Holland during their conflicts with Jan II, Duke of Brabant, it was inhabited by the Lords of Zevenbergen and served as part of the defenses of the walled town.

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 captured after a four-month siege by Philip the Good, Duke of Brabant. The castle was reconstructed afterward.

Between 1572 and 1590, during the 80 Years' War, Zevenbergen Castle was alternately occupied by Spanish and Dutch troops. Dutch troops eventually set fire to the castle to prevent it from being used again by Spanish forces. By then, the Lords of Zevenbergen had already moved their residence elsewhere. The exact date of the castle's destruction by fire is unclear; most sources cite 1573, but also mention that Spanish troops reoccupied the castle the following year. A source from Leiden University names 1590 as the year of destruction. The burned castle was rebuilt later.

By 1606, it was in poor condition, and in 1648, it fell under the control of the House of Orange-Nassau. At the end of the 17th century, it briefly served as a prison.

In 1728, the Nassau Domain Council decided to demolish the medieval Zevenbergen Castle. Over the next four years, all stones from the castle were used to reinforce coastal defenses at the Western Scheldt River near Walsoorden.

Depictions show it to have been a rectangular, moated castle featuring at least one round corner tower and a large square keep. Today, nothing remains of Zevenbergen Castle.

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