Muiderslot

Muiderslot

A storybook Dutch castle

Near where the river Vecht meets the sea, a short way from Amsterdam, stands one of the most perfect castles in the Netherlands: Muiderslot. Square and solid, built of warm red brick, with a round tower at each corner and a moat of dark water all around, it looks exactly like a castle should. Reached by a bridge over the moat, it has guarded this spot for more than seven hundred years.

The murdered count

The story of a castle here begins around 1280, when Count Floris V, the ruler of the region of Holland, built a stronghold at Muiden to control the river and collect tolls. Floris was a powerful but troubled lord. He did much for ordinary people and was nicknamed "the peasants' god", but he made bitter enemies among the nobles.

In 1296 those enemies seized Floris, held him prisoner, and then murdered him. In the violence that followed, his castle at Muiden was destroyed. For a time the spot lay empty, but around 1370 a new castle was built on the old foundations — and that is the Muiderslot we see today, faithfully following the shape of the original.

A guardian of the waterways

Muiderslot stood at an important point where the river entered the sea, guarding the approaches to Amsterdam and the busy waterways of Holland. In a land of rivers, lakes and canals, control of the water meant control of trade and travel, and the castle's moat and walls helped keep this vital crossing safe.

A home for poets

Muiderslot's most famous chapter has nothing to do with war. In the 1600s — the Dutch "Golden Age", when the Netherlands was one of the richest and most creative countries in the world — the castle became the home of Pieter Cornelisz Hooft, a celebrated poet and historian who served as its keeper.

Hooft invited his brilliant friends to visit: poets, scholars, musicians and artists, among them some of the greatest minds of the age. They gathered at Muiderslot to talk, write, make music and share ideas, and this circle of friends became famous in Dutch history. For a while, the old moated castle was one of the bright centres of Dutch culture.

Preserved as a museum

Because of its beauty and its rich history, Muiderslot was carefully preserved when many other old castles were lost. Today it is one of the best-known and best-loved castles in the Netherlands, restored and furnished to show life in the days of Count Floris and of the poet Hooft, with fine rooms, old weapons and a lovely walled garden growing herbs, fruit and flowers as it might have done long ago.

Visiting today

Visitors cross the bridge over the moat to explore the brick castle's towers, halls and chambers, wander the restored gardens, and hear the tales of the murdered count and the gathering of poets. Falconry displays and costumed guides help bring the past to life. With its moat, its corner towers and its mix of dark drama and golden-age culture, Muiderslot is the very picture of a Dutch medieval castle.