Stadskasteel Zaltbommel
This striking building in the center of Zaltbommel was once the residence of the infamous Gelderland general Maarten van Rossem (c. 1490-1555). The Maarten van Rossem house was built around 1535. Van Rossem had it fitted with lavish Renaissance carvings. The building has a striking decorative appearance with towers and battlements, which earned it the nickname Stadskasteel Zaltbommel. Today, the Stadskasteel is a museum.
Location
Zaltbommel
Year built
Circa 1535-1540
Building Style
Late Gothic / early Renaissance
Client
Maarten van Rossem
Restoration architect
Pierre Cuypers
Original function
Residential house
Details
Sculpture in early Renaissance style
Wheelchair accessible
No
Owned by Monumentenbezit
Since 2016
Visitor information
The Museum Stadskasteel Zaltbommel is located in the Maarten van Rossemhuis. The collection of the museum provides an image of the history of Zaltbommel, the Bommelerwaard and the life and work of the Zaltbommel-born illustrator Fiep Westendorp. The museum is managed by the Stichting Stadskasteel Zaltbommel.
Visiting address:
Nonnenstraat 5 - 7, 5301 BE Zaltbommel
Around 1500 there was already a building on the site of today's City Castle. This building was rebuilt between about 1537 and 1540. The present Stadskasteel consists of a rectangular main building, the long side of which faces the street, and has an extension at the rear (garden side).
The main wing is two stories high and flanked by stepped gables with arked turrets at the corners. The lower room which is slightly higher than the gateway gives direct access to the staircase. This suggests that there was once a stair tower there with a spiral staircase. That stair tower was enlarged into a rectangular extension, so that there was more room for the staircase. A second extension was added, lengthening the gateway and making room above it for several small rooms. Early Renaissance carvings were added in both parts of the extension. This unmistakably dates stylistically from the second quarter of the 16th century, from the time of Maarten van Rossem.
Maarten van Rossem had no legal descendants, so the Stadskasteel came into the possession of his sister and her heirs after his death. In 1612, Johan van Meteren bought property. He had some alterations made to the building. For example, "anno 1613" above the street-side entryway indicates that this is when the current layout of the gateway was added. The Adam-and-Eve fireplace was also made in his time.
Maarten van Rossem was probably born around 1490 in Bommelerwaard. He grew up in a family that was of low nobility. The Van Rossem family was not wealthy, but they did own a small castle in Rossem. Maarten van Rossem is best known for his conquests, plunder, and other feats of arms.
In 1516, Maarten van Rossem was a horseman in the army of Charles of Egmond, Duke of Gelre and Count of Zutphen. Van Rossem fought on his side during the Wars of Gelderland (1502-1543) against the Burgundians and later against the Habsburgs. In 1518, he received Poederoijen in fief. Although the castle itself was a ruin, the revenues from the land laid the foundation for Van Rossem's later wealth. He used part of his fortune to purchase other possessions to strengthen his position in the Bommelerwaard.
From 1523 Van Rossem was called ritmaster, meaning he commanded the cavalry of Gelre. In 1528, he became marshal of the army of Gelre. As marshal, he received 10% of the proceeds of an expedition. This enabled him to build the City Castle in Zaltbommel.
Under Charles' successor, William of Gulik, Maarten van Rossem remained the army commander of Gelre. When Gelre was subjected to the authority of Emperor Charles V in 1543, who thus became Duke of Gelre, Maarten van Rossem entered the service of the Habsburg army. In 1553, he advanced to become governor of Luxembourg and count of Chimay. While securing the construction of a fort on the Meuse River, he fell ill. He died on June 7, 1555.
The house remained inhabited well into the 19th century, although little is known about its owners. However, drawings from the 19th century show that the castle had fallen into disrepair. Vulnerable parts, such as the arkel towers and carvings, had been removed over time. Grass grew on the building and the roof leaked.
The then owner, Arie van Brakel, decided to put the building up for sale for demolition in 1881. State official Victor de Stuers and architect Pierre Cuypers, both members of the Commission of State Advisors on Monuments of History and Art, were alerted by local city architect Antonie Gulden. All three were of the opinion that this could not happen. De Stuers in particular jumped into the breach for the City Castle. Finally, after much wrangling, the City Castle was sold to the State one day before the scheduled public sale.
Almost immediately, restoration began. The building was repurposed as a district court. The restoration plans were made by Cuypers. The roof was completely renewed and the turrets were restored with a spire. Daily supervision of the restoration was in the hands of Gulden. He designed the detached administrator's house in the garden of the City Castle in 1908. In January 1934, the district court was dissolved. After remodeling, the building was put into use in 1937 by the Oudheidkamer. Today the Stadskasteel is a museum and the administrator's house a museum store and café.
Since 2016, the City Castle has been owned by Monument Property. In 2024, during masonry and pointing repairs on the exterior on the second floor, a loophole was discovered. On the first floor, a small room was discovered in the side wall of the exterior rear extension.