Rhijnestein Castle

Rhijnestein Castle, locally known as Kasteel Rhijnestein, lies next to village of Cothen, in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

Rhijnestein Castle was first mentioned in 1248. In the 2nd half of the 14th century it was the home of Jan van Rynestein. He was a knight and a bastard son of Jan van Arkel, the bishop of Utrecht. Around 1396 he was in conflict with Hendrik II van Vianen, the burgrave of Utrecht, and Frederick of Blankenheim, the bishop of Utrecht. As a result Hendrik besieged Rhijnestein for 3 days. The castle was severely damaged and probably only the tower house and the bailey remained. Apparently the castle had been bigger than just the tower house, for Hendrik captured 300 men after taking the castle.

During the following centuries the castle passed through the hands of several families. In 1827 it was acquired by the forefathers of the present owners. During the 2nd half of the 19th century a symmetrical expansion, with a central wing between the original tower house and a 2nd new, neo-Gothic tower, was built. The square tower with the pointed roof in the present construction is the original tower house.

At present Rhijnestein Castle is a private residence and can therefore not be visited. I am curious about the interior of the medieval tower.

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