Top 10 Castles in the Netherlands
The Netherlands' landscape — flat, heavily watered, with rivers and canals crossing in every direction — shaped a castle tradition that used water as its primary defensive element. The Dutch waterkasteel (water castle), surrounded by a moat or built on an island in a river or lake, is a distinctively northern European form that reached its greatest elaboration in the 13th-16th centuries. The country has over 300 registered castle sites; these ten represent the finest. Find them on the map.
1. Muiderslot, Muiden
Muiderslot, at the mouth of the Vecht river near Amsterdam, is the best-preserved medieval castle in the Netherlands. Built from 1285 for Count Floris V of Holland — who was subsequently kidnapped and murdered near the castle by nobles opposed to his pro-French policies — the square four-towered castle with its full moat is the definitive example of the Dutch waterkasteel. It has been used as a film location and appears on millions of Dutch school materials. The guided tours are among the most professionally managed of any Dutch heritage site.
2. Paleis Het Loo, Apeldoorn
Het Loo, the Dutch royal hunting palace near Apeldoorn, was built from 1684 for William of Orange — soon to become William III of England — and designed as a Dutch Versailles. The formal garden, filled in during the 19th century and restored to its 17th-century plan in the 1970s-80s, is one of the finest historical garden restorations in Europe. The central axis of parterres, fountains, and cascades behind the palace recreates the courtly garden of William III with documented accuracy.
3. Kasteel Doorwerth, Gelderland
Doorwerth, in the Rhine landscape of the Veluwe near Arnhem, is a moated medieval castle substantially rebuilt in the 16th century with Renaissance additions. The castle was heavily damaged in the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944 but has been carefully restored; the Dutch Hunting Museum now occupies the main ranges.
4. Slot Loevestein, Gelderland
Loevestein, at the confluence of the Maas and Waal rivers near Gorinchem, is a medieval tower castle of the 14th century that became famous as a state prison in the 17th century. Hugo Grotius — the father of international law — was imprisoned here in 1619 for his role in the Arminian religious disputes; he escaped in 1621 in a book chest smuggled out by his wife. The castle is accessible only by ferry, which preserves the island character of the original fortification.
5. Kasteel Amerongen, Utrecht
Amerongen, in the Utrecht ridge landscape, is a moated castle rebuilt after destruction by French forces in 1672. The current castle is primarily late 17th century. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany signed his abdication here in November 1918, while sheltering in the Netherlands after Germany's defeat; the room where he signed is preserved.
6. Ridderhofstad Sterkenburg, Utrecht
Sterkenburg, in the Cromme Rijn valley south of Utrecht, is a 15th-century tower house set in a later moated courtyard. The tower's survival in its medieval form within the later additions makes it one of the best examples of the ridderhofstad (knight's estate) tradition — the minor nobility's fortified farmstead — in the Netherlands.
7. Huis Bergh, Gelderland
Huis Bergh, above the town of 's-Heerenbergh near the German border, is the largest medieval castle in the Netherlands. The two-towered gatehouse and the moated enclosure represent the most ambitious example of the Dutch castle form. The castle houses an important collection of medieval art assembled by the Van Heek family in the early 20th century.
8. Kasteel Hoensbroek, Limburg
Hoensbroek, in the southern Limburg coalfield, is one of the largest and best-preserved castles in the Netherlands. The inner castle — a 14th-century tower and residential range — sits within a later 17th-century outer enclosure; the combination gives it an unusual layered character. The castle is managed as a heritage attraction with regular events.
9. Egmond Castle Ruins, North Holland
The ruins of Egmond Castle, near the North Holland town of Egmond aan den Hoef, represent what was once the largest castle in the northern Netherlands and the seat of the powerful Counts of Egmond. Demolished in 1574 during the Dutch Revolt, the foundations were excavated and partially reconstructed in the 20th century.
10. Radboud Castle, Medemblik
Radboud, on the IJsselmeer shore at Medemblik in North Holland, is a partially surviving late 13th-century castle built for Floris V — the same count who built Muiderslot. The surviving towers and sections of the original curtain wall, with later additions, make it the second most important surviving medieval castle associated with the Counts of Holland.
Explore on the map
The Netherlands' full watercastle landscape, from the Rhine delta fortresses to the North Holland shore castles, is on the interactive map. The flat terrain makes cycling between castle sites particularly practical.