Batestein Castle was commissioned by Gijsbert van Beusichem in the year 1370, after it was decided that Vyanen Castle no longer met the needs of the times. Gijsbert may have named the castle after his wife, Beatrix van Egmond (also known as Beate or Bate). Under Reinoud van Brederode (1492-1556), the castle was praised as one of the most beautiful in all the Netherlands. Virtually nothing remains today, after the Spaniards conquered and plundered the castle on 3 May 1567.
In the year 1628, Constantijn Huygens described Batestein Castle …
Batestein Castle was commissioned by Gijsbert van Beusichem in the year 1370, after it was decided that Vyanen Castle no longer met the needs of the times. Gijsbert may have named the castle after his wife, Beatrix van Egmond (also known as Beate or Bate). Under Reinoud van Brederode (1492-1556), the castle was praised as one of the most beautiful in all the Netherlands. Virtually nothing remains today, after the Spaniards conquered and plundered the castle on 3 May 1567.
In the year 1628, Constantijn Huygens described Batestein Castle in Vianen as: “A piece of paradise”. The castle was owned at the time by Johan Wolfert van Brederode, the Field-Marshal of Prince Maurits, who modernised and beautified the castle. For example, he constructed the Hofpoort and the pump, which can now be found on Hofplein. The gardens near the castle received much praise and admiration and are a very early example of Dutch Classicism, a style still known today from the gardens of ‘t Loo Palace and Versailles.
In the year 1696, the majority of the castle was lost to a fire and the rest fell into disrepair. The castle continued to be used as a military hospital, barracks and sanatorium before being finally demolished in the 19th Century.
Further reading: The Hofpoort, Hofplein water pump, Brederode statue, Vianen Castle, Vianen town centre, Buitenlandpoort Memorial.
