Netherlands: Slot Zuylen (Castle of Zuilen)

So the weather has improved a little bit in the Netherlands, although yesterday and today has been a bit of a downer. Well a few weeks ago when the weather was okay, Dutchman and I went biking outside Utrecht to the charming village of Oud-Zuilen near Maarssen. The little village is famous for its castle surrounded by a moat, which by the way is very common among Dutch castles.

An excerpt from the castleâ€™s website:

â€œSlot Zuylen Castle is situated on the river Vecht in the tiny village of Oud-Zuilen near Utrecht, The Netherlands. Whilst retaining many of its medieval castle-like features it was converted into a country mansion in the 18th century. Its most famous resident was Belle van Zuylen (Isabelle de CharriÃ¨re), writer of fame and feminist avant la lettre. Slot Zuylen opened its doors to visitors 60 years ago and has meanwhile acquired museum status. The past is recalled to life through guided tours, garden walks, concerts and special events.â€

We didnâ€™t go inside the castle because we arrived late and they were closing in half an hour. The Dutchman was quite happy though because he thinks castles are silly. Oh well.

Here we are riding on our bikes to the castle. The Netherlands is very green.

The castle is not too far away from Utrecht city centre. It’s about 17 minutes with the car and about 23 minutes with the bicycle. Here is the castle on the map. It is located on the River Vecht.

Click on the + and – signs to zoom in and out. One can have a nice walk around the castle.

Slot Zuylen was originally built in the 13th century as a donjon. It was demolished in the mid 15th century and was rebuilt a century later into a castle.