Muiderslot Castle

The Muiderslot was the castle of the Count of Holland. Now, before you get too confused, you should understand that the country we now live in is called the Netherlands, and only part of it is (or ever was) Holland. Holland is the north-western coastal land, with Frisia to the east and Flanders to the south. Holland was the first region to do serious water management: a talent brought by necessity, as storms turned coastline into islands and threatened to surround all of Holland in water. The first construction of major dikes happened around the time that a castle was first built on this site. It is known that Floris V inhabited a castle here in 1280, but it is not clear if it was built at that time or if it stood here already. It was rebuilt in 1370 by Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, who was also the Count of Holland.

The castle is only about 20 minutes away from Amsterdam by train. The road to the castle runs along a very wide canal, with modern boats and a few classic sailboats.

This is the first castle I've seen which has an actual moat. And, in this enviroment, it makes sense... you don't have to dig a moat, you just have to not raise the ground in the swamp. The orange flags are in the color of the royal family.

It even has a drawbridge. Since its first owner, Floris V, was known as God of the Peasants it is very likely that he had good reason to need a drawbridge. His father had been killed by the Frisians, and after a series of wars with Frisia and Flanders, alternately allying with the English and French, Floris was kidnapped while hunting and imprisoned in Muiderslot. However, as word of his capture spread, a mob began to form. As his captors attempted to sneak him away from his amassing supporters, the mob attacked and Floris was killed by his panicked captor. He was given the name God of the Peasants for having allegedly knighted over 40 peasants. It is not known today if this is true or if it was a rumor spread to sully his name (knighting of peasants being a particularly ignoble thing to do if you're a noble) but it is certain that he is remembered as a folk hero.

... but on the late side for tulips. This is a parrot tulip which is well past its prime. I rather like the cobwebs in its center though.

Castles of this time were strongholds during a siege. A large number of people could stay safe inside, provided they could maintain supplies. One can imagine children playing in this courtyard in the quiet between skirmishes, the adults wondering if the provisions in barrels would outlast the enemy...

This tunic and flag are hanging around on the wall. Presumably they are also old. The castle was known to be in use in the 16th century by P.C. Hooft, a Dutch author and poet, as a gathering place for friends such as Vondel, Huygens, Bredero, and Visscher. It fell into disrepair in the 19th century but was restored in its 17th century style.

The plexiglas in the windows makes for poor photos, but means that one of the niches made a good nesting place for this jackdaw. She's not terribly thrilled with getting photographed though. The nest also had babies in it, but you can't really tell that from the photo.

This lovely shot of the lilies in the moat is taken by looking down the castle latrine. There are flush toilets for the guests, but I wonder if the many years of use have fertilized the lilies.

It was really, really dark in this room. Dark enough that I didn't notice this masthead on the celing for some time. Therefore I'm pretty proud that she isn't blurry (no flash, of course... who knows how old that paint is?)

Speaking of dark... but I like this picture anyway. Here comes the Joker, with his silly grin, he carries a martini, made of bathtub gin...

One of the really nifty things about the castle was that it was well set up for children to visit. And not with cheesy paternalistic pseudo-educational signage, but with costumes to play in... and video games. Here you ride the horses to control the jousting match. In the background are realistic replicas of full plate armor, so you can pick it up and feel what it was like to walk in the stuff.

A case of polearms. These are not replicas, these are the real thing. The aging sash on the left one looks like a giant cluster of pot, but ignoring the decaying rope it is a pretty impressive collection of decorative arms.

I introduce the King's Champion, Sir Archibald the Ridiculous! One assumes that the knight was happy that his face was hidden when he rode out wearing this thing.

Sir Archibald's humiliation dissolves as he catches sight of his challenger. The little tail sticking off the back of the fur ring just kind of completes the ensemble. Sir Archibald struggles not to laugh himself off his horse. (The antlers are probably from a fallow deer, although they could be a rare club form of antlers off a local red deer.)