Brederode Castle

A wonderful place to visit with family specially in a sunny day. Cozy and picturesque place.
Notes:
If you have museum card, it does not work here.
This is an old castle which majority of it has been ruined. You should watch your steps on the stairs.
Although only a part of the castle has remained, but still, it worths, giving a visit.
A parking next to the site is available, if you go by car. And the route to this place is also delightful and charming.

Old ruin made accessible with some restorations done. Well worth the visit.
Open from March. The parking was opened at 10, the ruin itself only opens at 11!

From the woman at the entrance to the stuff around the castle, everyone was kind and helpful. English is not an issue at all!
Castle is a must see, and a must hear! as the vibe around the castle is just amazing
Doesn't take much to walk around it, is a quick half hour I'd say.
Plus: they have some awesome kids' costumes and swords and helmets AND WOODEN STICK HORSES to just get right at the entrance for kids to enjoy the visit even more than adults!

This was a wonderful day trip location. We were lucky to have clear skys, so the views from the towers were beautiful.
The grounds are lovingly maintained, the staff were knowledgeable and eager to answer questions and the historical artifacts were documented in English and Dutch.
The castle was easy to find, has free parking and was definitely worth the price.

What a wonderful castle ruins that you can actually roam inside and out. It was a gem of a find while taking the back roads of the Netherlands.

Very authentic - not like other “disney land style” renovated castles. Recommended!

We really enjoyed exploring the castle ruin. You can climb up to the top of the remaining tower, walk around to the other side and down the stairs which lead to a room full of torture devices used in the past. Paper guide explained the castle rooms in english.

We stumbled upon this place by pure accident during a Saturday bike ride and couldn't be more pleasantly surprised that this gem existed in our back yard! Extra points for the staff dressed in period clothing. 🏰🇳🇱

Beautiful and peaceful place. Very child friendly. Everyone who was working at the Castel was extremely friendly. We really enjoyed our time. Thank you so much.

It's a great place for families. We had a wonderful time learning about the history of this castle. The staff is very friendly and very welcoming. Our daughter participated in the bow and arrow workshop for kids and enjoyed herself. Thank you Brederode Castle!

Beautiful and wholesome with the best guide through! Thank u for nice time 🫶🏻😀

The Brederode castle is an excellent option to go on a weekend with your kids or as a couple. There’s a big green area in the summer where you can walk around and feel the medieval atmosphere that once filled the place. The castle itself is also interesting. You can order beer from a medieval cup and watch some love performances as well.

Atmospheric castle. One room has a log fire, which is great for warming you up on a wet day. They also serve very nice coffee and apple cake.

A small but very pretty ruin, definitely worth a visit. We enjoyed a very friendly welcome and appreciated that we could bring our dog with us!

The Ruin of Brederode refers to the remains of Brederode Castle near Santpoort-South. The castle was founded in the second half of the 13th century by Willem I van Brederode (+- 1215–1285). This descends from the lords of Teylingen, who were related to the counts of Holland. The castle was part of the high lordship of Brederode, with which the lords of Brederode were enfeoffed by the count of Holland in the 13th century. The name Brederode refers to a piece of forest land (Brede Roede) that was cleared, on which the castle is built. At first the castle consisted only of a residential tower. The tower was demolished around 1300, after which Dirk II van Brederode had a square castle built. During the Hoekse and Kabeljauwse quarrels, the Brederodes remained loyal to Margaret of Bavaria, so that the castle was besieged in 1351 by the Cod-minded Gijsbrecht II van Nijenrode. After the surrender, the castle was so badly damaged that it was demolished. After the reconciliation between the Brederodes and the counts in 1354, it was rebuilt again. It was no longer inhabited, but remained a base for the Hoeken, led by Willem van Brederode. Because the Hoeken besieged Haarlem in 1426, the Kabeljauwen destroyed the southern part of the castle. Willem van Brederode was forbidden to "fortify, fasten or fortify" the castle, so that it could not be restored. Finally, the northern part was restored in 1464. During the revolt of the Kaas- en Brood People in 1492, the castle was looted by German soldiers. It has not been inhabited since then. In 1568 it came to the States of Holland. After the loss of the Watergeuzen in the Battle of the Haarlemmermeer, Haarlem had to surrender to the Spanish soldiers in 1573 after the siege of Haarlem. The protestant Lancelot van Brederode was beheaded by them and the castle was looted and set on fire. Subsequently, the ruins fell prey to the advancing shifting sands of the dunes. In 1579 a branch of the Brederodes received the seigniory from Holland again on loan. In 1679 Wolfert van Brederode (1649-1679), the last lord of Brederode, died, leaving the ruins again to the States of Holland and thus to the state of the Netherlands. When the Batavian Republic was formed in 1795, all regional properties were nationalized. Until January 15, 2016, the ruin was therefore owned by the State in the portfolio of the Government Buildings Agency. This monument was transferred to the National Monuments Organization on January 15, 2016. In the 19th century, the ruin was one of the first structures to be restored on behalf of the state. This happened in a rather romantic way. The remains of the Brederode's castle are registered as the first national monument. I have visited the castle twice. The first time I was able to visit and this was an immensely enjoyable experience. The second time the office was closed so that we could not visit properly. This was a disappointment as we had travelled from Amsterdam for nearly two hours on public transport. So we just walked around the castle moat and took some pictures.

Beautiful ruin that greats the feeling how it used to be in a wonderful way. volenteers whom are very friendly and eager to explain and tell you more. Will definitely visit again with the kids when they are a bit older. Check for the events that they do there for kids in advance.

Such a lovely area, and a very interesting castle to look around. The open fire really added an authentic touch. 6 euros a bargain.

So nice still place, people there are friendly and hospitable
You will want to go back there

Amazing place, I recommend to visit it

A good place to visit with family. Medieval castle, activities, beautiful scenery.