Muiderslot

About this place

Muiderslot, Muiden Castle, stands at the mouth of the Vecht river in the town of Muiden in the Netherlands, where the river once flowed into the old Zuiderzee, about 12 km southeast of Amsterdam in a straight line. It is one of the best-known castles in the Netherlands and has featured in many television shows set in the Middle Ages. Count Floris V built a stone castle at the river mouth in 1280 when he gained control of the area; the Vecht was the trade route to Utrecht, and the castle was used to collect tolls from traders. It is fairly small, 32 by 35 metres, with brick walls more than one and a half metres thick, surrounded by a wide moat. The castle's red-gold brick and four round towers with conical roofs rise above the moat and are mirrored in it. Neat gardens surround it, an old gatehouse adjoins it, and it looks out on a small harbour of sailing boats. Visitors tour the castle's halls and towers, stroll the gardens and walk around the moat to see the castle from every side. It makes a short trip from Amsterdam.