Slot Assumburg
In the 15th century, the first stones were laid for Slot Assumburg by the lord of Assumburg. There was already a house here from the 13th century, but it had to make way for the castle. It has been extensively rebuilt over the centuries. Today it consists of four wings surrounding a courtyard with a symmetrical baroque garden. This garden was recreated in 2011 based on an old copper engraving of the garden from 1729. You can stay overnight in this special monument through Stayokay, an inn located in the building.
Location
Heemskerk
Year built
About 1486
Building Style
Classicism
Client
Nicolaas van Assendelft
Past function
Residential house
Special feature
Late Gothic gallery with foursquare
Owned by Monumentenbezit
Since 2016
Wheelchair accessible
Yes
Visitor information
You can book an overnight stay at Slot Assumburg through the Stayokay website. In addition, the castle can be rented for meetings, parties and is a wedding location. The symmetrical baroque garden in the park is freely accessible during the day.
Visiting address:
Tolweg 9, 1967 NG Heemskerk
In the second half of the 13th century, there was a residential tower on the site of the present castle. When the residential tower fell out of use, the land became an orchard. In 1486 the land passed into the hands of Nicolaas van Assendelft.
Under Van Assendelft and his wife Aleid van Kijfhoek, the castle was built. It was subsequently inhabited by generations of Van Assendelft. By Gerrit V of Assendelft, lord of the Assumburg, renovations were carried out in 1610.
Family Van Renesse took over the castle from the family. They finally sold it in 1669 to merchant Johannes Wuytiers (1629-1674). He then sold it in 1694 to the Amsterdam banker Jean Deutz (1655-1719). Deutz and his wife Maria Boreel (1634-1702) had the house modernized. They also had beautiful gardens laid out in geometric style and a park with a deer park. The castle was occupied by the Deutz family until 1867.
After a period of private rental and vacancy, the mansion quickly fell into disrepair. In 1911, the owners donated "The Assumburg" including moat, driveway and orangery via a letter to the Minister of the Interior. The condition was that Slot Assumburg be preserved as a historical monument. It turned out that the castle was not suitable for ordinary rental. At the suggestion of the director of the National Office for the Preservation of Monuments, a youth hostel was established in the building in 1933.
The oldest parts of the current castle date back to the 15th century. These are the two square towers and part of the ring wall. Due to extensive renovations in the 17th and 18th centuries and reconstructions in the last century, little is known about the earliest buildings.
The castle is connected by a bridge to the forecourt, where on the left is the orangery. The current Slot Assumburg consists of four wings around an inner courtyard. In the inner courtyard is a square court. Justice used to be administered in this building.
Since 2016, Slot Assumburg has been owned by Monumentenbezit. In 2017, we started doing painting work. In 2018, we made a connection between the forecourt and the visitor center. The realization of the passages completed the refurbishment of the forecourt. With this, the forecourt has become part of a publicly accessible area.
In the 19th century, the garden was redesigned, with geometry central to the design. A park forest was also created. By 1912, however, the garden structure had largely disappeared due to subdivision and auction.
The current geometric garden at the rear of Assumburg Castle is a reconstruction and dates from 2011. This reconstruction is based on a 1729 copper engraving of the beautiful gardens in geometric style commissioned by Jean Deutz between 1708 and 1719.
The reconstruction is a design by Nico Brantjes. The garden is enclosed by beech hedges (originally by tall hedges) and contains four parterres de broderies (rows of box plants in a pattern) and two beds with annual flowering plants. In the center is a sunken bowl where the marble statue "Sabine puppetry" by Elisabeth Stienstra stands. This statue is a derivative of the Sabine maid robe by Italian sculptor Giambologna. A copy of this stood in the former garden. Behind the bell-shaped court pond with fountains, there is an amphitheater.
You can stay overnight in the castle these days, but the garden is freely accessible during the summer months.