We drove to Slot Zuylen armed with a museum card and a camera.
As soon as we stepped out of the car, I noticed the dark clouds and quickly grabbed my camera to capture some shots of the castle’s exterior and surroundings. That turned out to be a good choice, because within minutes heavy rain began to fall, and we continued our visit inside the castle.
A bit of history
Slot Zuylen is one of the oldest castles along the river Vecht. In the mid-13th century, a residential tower was built here on the orders of the Van Zuylen family. In the 15th century, the then-owner Frank van Borssele came into conflict with the citizens of Utrecht, which led to the destruction of the tower.
In the 17th century, the castle found a new owner, Adam van Lockhorst, and later passed to the Van Reede family. Through the marriage of Hendrik Jacob van Tuyll van Serooskerken and Anna Elisabeth van Reede, Slot Zuylen came into the possession of the Van Tuyll van Serooskerken family, who owned it until 1952.
At first, the castle was only inhabited during the summer months, while the family spent winters in their townhouse on the Kromme Nieuwegracht in Utrecht. Later, the family chose to live permanently at Slot Zuylen.
The family
The Van Tuyll van Serooskerken family is a noble lineage that held a prominent position in Zeeland as early as the 15th century, and later in other parts of the Netherlands. In 1822, the King officially recognized the family and granted them the title of Baron.
More information
If you ever find yourself with a free Sunday, I can highly recommend visiting Slot Zuylen. For more details, I gladly refer you to the website.
