A masterpiece of brick

The Muiderslot is one of the best-preserved castles in the Netherlands. An iconic building. Around 1285, Floris V, Count of Holland, buys a stronghold on the river Vecht. He has this castle modernized. This created the Muiderslot: a square castle with four corner towers, a large hall in the courtyard and a moat.

Destroyed and rebuilt

Floris cannot know at the time that he is buying his own prison. In 1296, he is imprisoned here before being killed at Muiderberg. After his death, the castle is destroyed. Starting in 1363, Muiderslot is rebuilt and slowly takes its present form.

On the thirteenth-century wall remains rise high walls, towers and two residential wings. At first, these have thatched roofs, but these are soon replaced by slate roofs. Despite all the alterations and restorations, the castle remains largely the same throughout the centuries. This makes the Muiderslot one of the oldest and best preserved castles in the Netherlands.

The strength of the Muiderslot lies not only in its age, but also in its recognizability. The castle has been through a lot over the centuries, but its form and appearance have remained remarkably constant. As a result, it has become the image that many people have of a medieval castle.

Its location on the Vecht River was strategically chosen. From here water traffic could be controlled and defended. The castle thus played an important role in the position of power of the Counts of Holland. That the Muiderslot was rebuilt again and again after its destruction shows how important this place was.

What does the facade of a building tell us about what goes on inside? That question preoccupies future architect Ahmed Batman. When thinking about new building projects, he likes to be inspired by historic buildings. The Muiderslot is a good example. In this video, Ahmed visits the Muiderslot and looks at forms, materials and proportions with an architect’s eye. What do you see when you look through the eyes of an architect?