Ruïne van Teylingen
The Ruins of Teylingen consist of the remains of the 13th-century Teylingen castle. The most famous resident of the former castle is the Dutch countess Jacoba van Beieren (1401-1436). At the beginning of the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648), the castle was set on fire and partially destroyed. The residential tower was subsequently restored and used as a prison, but after a fire in 1677 the damage was not repaired. The ruin now consists of an impressive ring castle with a diameter of 37 meters in which the remains of the residential tower and a gatehouse are located. The whole is surrounded by a wide moat. You can visit the ruin at the weekend.
Location
Voorhout
Year built
Thirteenth century
Client
Gentlemen of Teylingen
Original function
Ring castle with residential tower and gatehouse
Special feature
The Dutch countess Jacoba of Bavaria lived here
Owned by Monumentenbezit
Since 2016
Wheelchair accessible
No
Visitor information
The Ruins of Teylingen are open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 to 17:00. The monument is closed during the winter months. Check the website for current opening hours.
Visiting address:
Teylingerlaan 15a, 2215 RT Voorhout
Teylingen Castle has had many owners. Here we focus on the owners who left their mark on the castle. Teylingen Castle was built by order of the lords of Teylingen and served to protect the Rhine dike and the road to Haarlem. The Teylingen family is said to be related to the counts of Holland.
The lords of Teylingen had received a predecessor of the castle and the surrounding land in fief from the Count of Holland. The oldest known and proven ancestor of the Van Teylingen family is Willem I van Teylingen (1198-1244). Willem I was the builder of the original ring castle, 37 meters in diameter. Halfway through the 13th century, a large tower - which stood in the ring wall - was replaced by the current, curved donjon (residential tower). In 1282, the family died out in the male line.
From 1283, the castle was the administrative centre of the forestry of Holland. Forester was a prestigious title at the time. A forester was responsible for the forest management of a specific area and was responsible for supervising hunting in the count's domain. In 1329, Simon van Benthem (ca. 1290-1345) was appointed forester by Count Willem IV (1307-1345). In the winter of 1337-1338, he had restoration work carried out on Teylingen Castle. The accounts that have been preserved show that there was a bakehouse, falconry, mill, building house and a stable at the time. Van Benthem, who had changed his name to Van Teylingen immediately after his appointment, had the bridges fitted with new planks and renewed the roofing. The keep or residential tower on the ring castle was given a slate roof.
Around 1350, the castle came into the hands of Jan van Herlaer. He was given the task of maintaining Teylingen in good condition. In 1383, Jan van der Boechorst had the castle thoroughly renovated, during which the residential tower, the buildings on the outer bailey and the gatehouses were tackled. At the beginning of the 15th century, a new house – in stone – was built on the outer bailey.
The most famous resident of Teylingen Castle is the Countess of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut, Jacoba van Beieren. Together with her fourth husband Frank van Borselen (ca. 1390-1470) she spent the last years of her life at Teylingen Castle.
Jacoba was born at Le Quesnoy Castle in the County of Hainaut as the only daughter of Willem VI van Oostervant (1365-1417) and Margaret of Burgundy (1373-1441). Her father was, among other things, lord of Hainaut, Holland and Zeeland. In the Middle Ages and early modern period, it was customary to enter into strategic marriages in order to expand or retain territory. Jacoba also had to suffer this fate. At the age of five, she was married off to Jan van Touraine (1398-1417), the 9-year-old son of the French king. Through this marriage, Jacoba obtained the name 'van Beieren', derived from the Van Beieren family to which her husband belonged. This family and the Van Bourgondië family, to which Jacoba's mother belonged, regularly fought for power.
In 1417, both Jacoba's father and her first husband, Jan van Touraine, died. A year later, at the age of 16, Jacoba married her cousin Jan IV van Brabant en Limburg (1403-1427). It was not a happy marriage. Jan IV sent Jacoba's ladies-in-waiting out of the house and humiliated her. Jacoba left her second husband and went to her mother. The marriage between Jacoba and Jan IV was such a huge failure that Jacob wanted to have the marriage annulled. He succeeded, and in 1422 Jacoba married for the third time. This time with an Englishman, Humphrey of Gloucester (1390-1447). However, this marriage also quickly failed, and was also annulled in 1428. In 1434, Jacoba married for the fourth and final time. However, the marriage between Jacoba and Frank van Borselen did not last long. In 1436 Jacoba died at Teylingen Castle.
During the first phase of the Revolt, between approximately 1572 and 1574, the castle was badly damaged by destruction and fire. In 1605-1614, minor restoration work was carried out. For example, the keep was given a new roof, the floors were renewed and a new fireplace was built. The restoration work was stopped in 1614.
When fire broke out again in the residential tower in 1677, it was not repaired and the decay continued. Nevertheless, Teylingen retained its function as a forestry until 1793. But in 1802 the building had deteriorated to such an extent that the entire complex was sold for demolition. It is remarkable that it was explicitly stated that the ruinous keep and ring wall had to be preserved. In 1888 the remaining complex was purchased by the State. After this a long period of consolidation, research and restoration began. Monumentenbezit continues this line.
Nowadays, only a ruin remains of the 13th-century Teylingen castle. This consists of an almost circular ring wall with a diameter of 37 metres and a battlement with originally 20 battlements. On the inside of this wall, large spar arches can still be seen. The whole is located on a castle island. Part of the moat that surrounded the castle is also still present. Of the residential tower that was located on the east side, only the outer walls remain. It is now an empty shell, but in the past the residential tower had four floors, the first of which was vaulted. You can also still see historical remains in the interior. For example, the beam holes of the upper floors can still be seen. Part of the gatehouse on the north side is also still standing. On the right side of this are the remains of a staircase tower. The outer bailey of the castle has completely disappeared. The buildings that stood on the outer bailey were demolished at the beginning of the 19th century.
In 2016, the ruin came into the hands of Monumentenbezit. Between 2016 and 2019, we carried out restoration work on the masonry here. Maintenance of ruins revolves around stopping the decay, with the appearance that it continues. Restorations are necessary to preserve the historical material of the ruin. We manage multiple ruins and have combined our approach for these special monuments in a publication that you can view online for free.