Strijen Castle

Strijen Castle, locally known as Kasteel Strijen or Slotbosse Toren, lies in a small park in the town of Oosterhout, in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands.

All that remains of the former Strijen Castle is a single tower fragment of seven stories high.

Construction of Strijen Castle probably started in 1288 by Willem Willemszoon van Strijen. Strangely enough, the bailey was situated on the territory of the County of Holland, and the castle itself on the territory of the Duchy of Brabant.

In 1324, the castle was bought by Willem van Duvenvoorde, who strengthened and renovated it. When he died, the castle became the property of his half-brother John I, Lord of Polanen.

In 1573, during the 80-Years war, the castle was destroyed after a siege by Spanish troops. It was never rebuilt and fell into decay. The castle ruin turned into a quarry over the next few hundred years. The stones were used to fix up roads and a church in and around Oosterhout.

A nice castle remnant. I am very curious how it must have looked. The tower ruin stands on a small square island and is also fenced off.

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