Ammersoyen Castle

Located beside the village of Ammerzoden, within the Gelderland province of the Netherlands, Ammersoyen Castle is one of the best preserved medieval castles in the Netherlands. This castle is a Dutch water castle, also known as a moated castle, and consists of four corner towers plus a fortified bailey. The castle dates back to the 1300s and has suffered damage a number of times through sieges, a fire, and most notably Allied shelling during World War Two. The castle has also been used as a monastery during the 1900s until it was bought, restored, and partly turned into a museum. Only one haunting has been found in connection to this location, and that is of a woman in white. It's said she died after being locked in a tower and since then people have seen her spirit and heard her weeping.

History

Some sources have claimed that Ammersoyen Castle, also known as Kasteel Ammersoyen, was built during the 12th century, also known as the 1100s. It is also common for sources to say the castle was build 'around 1300' and 'around 1350'. However, the consensus amongst historians is that the castle was completed by the Van Herlaer family during the 1350s. The first definitive mention of the castle comes from 1354 when Arent Van Ammersoyen acquired the castle through inheritance. When first built, the castle was located on the river Maas. This river is also known as the river Meuse. Shortly after the castle's construction, the river was redirected but the castle was left with it's moat.

The castle was designed to be a defensive fortress and it was built as a whole instead of in multiple phases like other castles typically are. When originally built, the castle had a central courtyard with four heavy towers on the corners which were connected by four heavy wings. Each of these wings were located on each side of the courtyard. This square design with the four corner towers is a good example of the type of castle which was introduced by Count Floris V of Holland who lived between the years of 1254 and 1296. The castle's protruding towers, plus it's moat, made it easier to defend.

Dirk Van Herlaer is the member of the Van Herlaer family who had the castle built during the 1350s. Some sources have also said the castle was built during the year of 1350, but it seems 1350s is more accurate as people don't seem to know an exact date. Dirk did apparently die during 1354 though, so if he saw the final castle then it was likely built somewhere between 1350 and 1354. Upon Dirk's death, the castle passed to his eldest son, Gerhard. Gerhard then died shortly after and the castle passed to his brother, Arent, during 1354. Arent died during 1384 and the castle passed to his son, Arent Hoeman. It was under Arent Hoeman that their family lost possession of the castle.

During 1386, the castle was captured by the Duke of Gelre, Willem Van Gulik. Willem Van Gulik has also been referred to as the Duke of Guelders and William Van Gulik by sources. The castle was taken by force because the governor of the castle had defected to Willem's arch enemy, the Duchy of Brabant. Everything adjoining the border with the Duchy of Brabant on the river Maas was to then be held for the Duchy of Guelders. Following the capture, the Dukes of Gelre remained owners of the castle for the next twenty-five years. Willem gave the castle to his son during 1405 who then sold it to Johan Van Broeckhuysen during 1424. There is some inconsistency here though as apparently during the year of 1412, Duke Reinald V granted the castle to his son, Willem Van Wachtendonk. It was then Willem Van Wachtendonk who then sold it to Johan. So, it seems it was either during the year of 1405 or 1412 that Willem Van Wachtendonk was given the castle.

Having looked more into this time period, Willem Van Gulik-Wachtendonk was the son of Duke Reinald IV, not Duke Reinald V. Reinald IV also lived between 1365 and 1423, so it seems Reinald IV is the correct Reinald regarding this time. Having tried to look more into Willem Van Gulik to see if he could have passed it to Reinald, I've found reference to a William I of Guelders and Jülich who died on the 16th of February 1402. It's said his successor was Reinald IV, so it seems the 1405 date could be completely wrong. It seems when William died, the castle would have passed to Reinald IV during 1402 and then Reinald granted it to his son Willem Van Gulik-Wachtendonk during the year of 1412. Willem then sold the castle to Johan during 1424. It's also important to say that Johan's last name has been spelt as Broeckhuysen, Broekhuizen, and Broekhugen, plus Johan was the Lord of Waardenburg.

During 1496, the Vam Arkel family married into ownership of the castle when Johan married Otto Van Arkel. The Van Arkel family lived in the castle until 1694. During the Guelderian Wars, within the year of 1513, the castle was besieged by the Habsburgs. The castle was damaged during both the siege and the later occupation by the Burgundian troops who were led by Count Henry III of Nassau-Dillenburg-Dietz. Count Henry has also been referred to as Count Henrick Van Nassau, and the occupation was only brief. Sources are unclear on this, but it seems the castle being besieged by the Habsburgs and the Burgundian occupation could possibly be seperate events. The Habsburgs event definitely seems to have been 1513, but some sources have said the Burgundian troops led by Nassau occupied the castle during the mid 16th century, also known as the mid 1500s. Some sources have discussed these events as though they are the same, but others have discussed them as though they are separate.

The castle was definitely occupied yet again though when the Spanish invaded the Netherlands. The Spanish occupation of Ammersoyen Castle is said to have occured during 1572, although some sources have said it was during the year of 1574. The Spanish were quickly driven out of the castle by Prince Willem Van Oranje, and this kept the castle from sustaining any serious damage while under Spanish occupation. I don't know exactly how long the Spanish had the castle for, but as Willem died during the year of 1584, the Spanish could only have occupied the castle for at most ten years. The next major event for Ammersoyen Castle occured during the year of 1590 when it suffered damage from an ordinary domestic fire. This damage was severe enough to render the castle as uninhabitable and it took a long time to repair. Joris Van Arkel, the Lord of Ammersoyen at the time, died of his injuries from the fire.

During the year of 1648, rebuilding of the castle to repair the fire damage finally begun following the Eighty Years War. This rebuild was complete during 1667, after nineteen years, and kept the castle's medieval appearance instead of updating it to be a more modern 17th century, also known as 1600s, house. However, modernisations did occur to the inside of the castle and these modernisations did adapt it to the requirements of the time period. There are two facade stones which mark the reconstruction as they bear the dates of 1648 and 1667. During the year of 1672, French troops invaded the Netherlands and placed Ammersoyen Castle at risk as they were destroying many of the castles. The last Lord of the Van Arkel family, Thomas Van Arkel, saved the castle by paying a ransom of fl 7000, also known as 7000 guilders, to the french troops. This left Thomas in financial trouble and he died on the 23rd of November 1693. Some sources have said he died during 1694, but this seems incorrect.

Following Thomas's death, the castle was successively owned by several families from the Southern Netherlands, now Belgium. This led to the castle not being lived in too often because the owners spent most of their time within their estates in Belgium. It was during the middle of the 19th century, also known as the 1800s, that the interior of the castle was adapted to the neo-gothic style. The final Lord of Ammersoyen was Baron Arthur de Woelmont and during 1868 he entertained an English writer called John Box who wrote a book about the castle called 'Chronicles of the Amelroy, or Ammerzode'.

There is more contradictory information about when the castle begun the next portion of it's life. It's been said that during 1867, Ammersoyen became a convent for the Order of Saint Clare. However, it has also been said that Arthur sold the castle, in a completely empty state, to the Roman Catholic Church of Ammerzoden during the year of 1873. I do not know which of these dates is true, but if John Box visited the castle during 1868, then this implies it was not sold to the church until after this date. It is also said Arthur possibly sold the castle to the church after losing a game of dice with a local priest. Regardless, the castle became a monastery and during the year of 1876 the castle was converted to a convent. I suspect the source which said the castle became a convent during 1867 mistyped the information and that the correct date is 1876. The castle became the second Clarisse Convent in the Netherlands. It was around the year of 1893 that the nuns had the moat filled in and a chapel built on the west side of the castle.

Between the years of 1944 and 1945, the castle suffered severe damage from Allied shelling during World War Two. It has been said the castle was a monastery until 1957 when the 'Friends of Gelderland Castles Foundation', also known as the 'Stichting Vrienden Van Geldersche Kasteelen', bought the castle. Apparently though, before they acquired the castle and after World War Two, the remains of the castle were used by a local businessman as a factory producing washing machines. It's also been said the castle was used as a village hall until it was bought by the foundation during 1957. This was expanded on a little in a source by saying that between the years of 1977 and 1999, the location was a tourist attraction, a town hall, and a meeting place for the local municipality. The meetings moved from the castle during 1999 because the Ammerzoden municipality ceased to exist. I can see it having been used by the nuns until 1957, and I can see it having been a town hall, but I really don't know how true the washing machine part is; so take that with caution.

It was during the year of 1959 that major restoration of the castle begun, and this lasted for sixteen years. As medieval elements were found, it was decided to return the castle back to it's medieval state. The moat was dug out again and it gave the castle the largest coherent collection of moat finds in the Netherlands. The attic of the castle is now filled with weapons and treasures which were found in the moat. Some of these items found included pieces of pottery, glass, silver, tin, and bronze. The restoration was completed during the year of 1975 and hardly any of the damage from World War Two can be seen. Today, the castle is used partly as a museum and partly as an office.

Hauntings

The only haunting of Ammersoyen Castle I've managed to find information on is that of a woman in white. Apparently there is a local legend which says the castle was once home to a noble family whose daughter fell in love with a man beneath her station. When her dad discovered the affair, he was enraged because he viewed the relationship as a betrayal of the family's honour. So, the dad locked his daughter in a small windowless room high in the castle's tower to she would never see her lover again. His daughter eventually died of starvation and despair. Following this, the dad felt guilty about what he had done upon finding her and ordered the room to be sealed.

It's said that since the daughter's death, a woman in white has been seen wandering the halls and corridors of the castle. She is said to be pale, with sorrow on her face, and dressed in a flowing white gown. It's also said she is often seen near the tower she was imprisoned in. People have reported her soft and mournful weeping and the scent of roses, along with feeling a cold breeze, have been associated with her. The room is apparently still sealed and it's location is a 'closely guarded secret'. However, apparently it has been reported for people to feel an overwhelming sense of dread when they are close to the room. Drops in temperature, plus doors slamming, have also been reported.

Summary Of Hauntings

1. A woman in white, pale, flowing white gown, sorrowful

2. Temperature drops

3. Doors slam

4. Smell of roses

5. Cold breezes

6. Sound of weeping

My Thoughts

Firstly, I would be surprised if more hauntings weren't connected to this location. I suspect that few hauntings have been found because I've been searching through english sources, so if you are local to the area and know any more information; please do contact me and let me know. As for the haunting I have found, I don't trust it. It seems contradictory to me that the sealed room is a closely guarded secret, yet people know when they're near it due to the feelings of dread. It all sounds like a typical myth and the story reminds me of a mash between Romeo and Juliet and Rapunzel. This doesn't mean it can't be true, or that a woman in white isn't haunting the castle, but it seems suspicious to me.

If I was to guess at more suspected hauntings, I wouldn't be surprised if family members to once owned the castle were present. Guessing along the typical 'tragedy' route, I'd specifically assume that the spirit of Joris Van Arkel could still be present as he died due to injuries sustained in the fire here. However, with only one reported haunting, it could be possible that the location just isn't haunted. When searching for information on hauntings, many sources came up discussing when the 'Most Haunted' team investigated the location. As very few sources discussed this location regarding hauntings without mentioning the Most Haunted team, it is possible that the location was only investigated from a speculatory perspective for television.

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