Slangenburg Castle, Doetinchem, Netherlands

Slangenburg Castle was constructed in the Late Medieval period. In the 17th century the castle became the property of General Frederik Johan van Baer, also known as General Slangenburg, who rebuilt it for residential purposes.

The last private owners were a German family called Passmann, who are buried in a private cemetery next to the moat. After the World War II all German properties were confiscated by the Dutch government, who thus acquired the castle, which, with the surrounding terrain and the buildings within the outer moat, now forms part of the portfolio of the Rijksgebouwendienst ('Royal Buildings Service'), while the surrounding area falls under the care of the Dutch environmental agency, the Staatsbosbeheer.

At present the castle is used as a guesthouse by the nearby Benedictine monastery, St. Willibrord's Abbey, a newly built structure of the 1950s situated on a part of the castle's former estate. The original monastic community, from Oosterhout Abbey, was initially accommodated in the castle itself in the years immediately following the war.

The estate and the monastery chapel are open to the public. The estate, roughly trapezoid in shape, features a system of lanes which is centuries old.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Mike ter Hart (11 months ago)
Relax and great to take a hike

Ricardo Munsel (12 months ago)
It is a pity we were not able to visit the castle but we understand that when people stay here for rest and quiet the tourists would only distract and disturb them. We had a nice coffee and tea, plus a nice piece of Dutch apple pie at the coach house and visited the local products shop Afterwards we had a very nice walk through the woods.

Angelo Blasutta (2 years ago)
Beautiful castle, i think it could be a very good place where spending few days for relaxing

Naked and Famous (2 years ago)
This place is just like many other historical places a sort of destroyed by the way we are today. While it was officially build as a status building for highly important people it now takes place as a hotel for anyone. Thanks to the government it belongs to list with monumental buildings so that no one may customize the outside of the building. Also the gardens around are owned by the government and opened to the public. It still is a beautiful place to go someday to visit the gardens and take a look inside the castle. Notice that it can be busy at sunny days and that parking is free.

Paweł Kowalczyk (2 years ago)
Beatufitul place!

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