Woerden Castle

Woerden Castle, locally known as Kasteel van Woerden, lies in the city of the same name, in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

Woerden Castle was preceded by an earlier castle built in 1159 by the bishop of Utrecht to defend his bishopric against the County of Holland. The present castle dates back to 1407 when it was built by John III, Bishop of Liège.

The castle was built only for military purposes and was never used as a nobleman's residence. So in some places the walls are over 3.5 meter thick to withstand enemy fire. There are also artillery corridors under the castle, which are unique in the Netherlands. With the passing of the centuries however the military threat diminished, so, at some point in time, the towers were dismantled, and they are now only less than half their original height.

When in 1672 the French invaded the Netherlands, destroying many castles on their path, they also tried to blow up Woerden Castle. This was however prevented by the people of Woerden, who stole the fuse before the French could ignite the gunpowder.

Until the 19th century, the castle was used as a prison. There is even a pit prison in the northwest tower, which was used for unruly prisoners. In the 20th century, the castle was part of military barracks and used for storage of all kinds of goods, but poorly maintained. This caused severe decay.

In 1989 the castle was thoroughly renovated and in the 1990s it was hired by an ICT company who used it as an office. I visited the castle for the first time in 2002, just after the company had gone out of business. Some years later it was again renovated and now serves as a venue for parties and events. It can only be visited as a guest.

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