Teylingen Castle

Teylingen Castle (Dutch: Slot Teylingen) is a Dutch castle in the municipality of Teylingen, in the town of Voorhout, near the border with Sassenheim. It is presumably the family keep of the noble family Van Teylingen, from which the Van Brederode family directly descended.

Teylingen Castle
Slot Teylingen
Voorhout, the Netherlands
Teylingen castle in 2007
The oldest picture of the castle; a drawing by Symon Aerntszoon van Buningen
Teylingen Castle
Coordinates	52°13′52″N 4°31′9″E
Type	Castle
Site information
Owner	Dutch Government
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Ruin
Site history
Built	13th century
Materials	Brick

The castle was originally built to protect the north-south route in Hollandic territory. Later it became a forester's castle for the forestry of the counts of Holland, starting with William IV, count of Holland.

One of the best known inhabitants of the castle was Jacoba of Bavaria, who died there. At the time of her death she was married to her fourth husband Frank van Borssele. The drinking cups dug up in the surrounding area are called Jacobakanntjes.

At present, only the ruins of the castle remain. These remnants are well preserved, and consist of a surrounding wall and a donjon which forms part of the wall partially surrounded by water. The wall dates from the beginning of the 13th century and the main building shortly thereafter. The castle was damaged heavily around 1570 during the Eighty Years' War, and partially restored thereafter. The donjon was partially burnt in 1675 and after which decay set in, and further parts were gradually demolished. The lands (and the ruins) became possessions of the province of Holland, and were nationalised in 1795. The grounds were later sold under the condition that the ruins would not be demolished. This made the ruins one of the first examples of the Dutch National Heritage (Monumenten Zorg). In 1889, the ruins were donated by Jhr. Mr. W. van Teylingen to the Dutch state, who remain the current caretakers. The ruins fall under the jurisdiction of the Rijksgebouwendienst (state's building service). At the end of the 20th century, the ruins were partially restored and the partially filled in moat was also restored to its original state. Funding for the restoration was made possible through the purchasing of grounds by the Foundation Slot Teylingen (with support of the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds), which then donated the acquired grounds back to the Dutch state.

The municipality of Teylingen is named after the castle, partly because the name Teylingen was also present in the three former municipalities Sassenheim, Voorhout and Warmond.