Slot Zuylen, Medieval castle in Oud-Zuilen, Netherlands
Slot Zuylen is a stone castle along the Vecht river in Oud-Zuilen, featuring a main building with an entrance gate surrounded by landscaped grounds. The property includes a coach house, garden paths, and museum spaces that display how inhabitants once lived and what they owned.
The castle was originally built in the 13th century and rebuilt in 1510 after damage or destruction. Major renovations in the 18th century transformed it into a country residence that reflected the style and comfort of that era.
The castle served as the home of a prominent family whose taste and wealth shaped its interior through centuries of occupation. The furnishings, artworks, and decorative pieces on display reveal how people of status lived and what they valued in their daily surroundings.
Visitors can explore the interior through guided tours and walk the gardens on their own pace. The grounds are best explored on foot during daylight hours, with pathways leading through the landscaped areas and down toward the river.
The grounds feature a serpentine wall built in the 18th century specifically designed to grow Mediterranean fruits in the cool Dutch climate. This curved wall trapped heat from the sun to allow cultivation of figs, peaches, and other southern fruits rarely seen in this region.
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