Kasteel Develstein, Medieval castle ruins in Zwijndrecht, Netherlands.
Kasteel Develstein is a medieval castle ruin in Zwijndrecht, with visible stone foundations preserved on an artificial island where two streets meet. The base of the structure remains traceable on the ground, though very little of the original building stands above the surface today.
Willem van Duivenvoorde, a court official for Count William III of Holland, built the castle after the Zwijndrechtse Waard area was enclosed by dikes in 1332. The construction was part of securing and controlling the newly created polder land in that region.
The name Develstein remains connected to the area through the modern school built beside it, showing how the community keeps the castle's memory alive. Local residents pass by the remnants regularly, and the site serves as a reminder of the region's older layers beneath its current form.
The site is open to public viewing and visible from the street, though it lies directly next to the DevelsteinCollege school building from 1977. Visitors should be aware this is an open area without barriers, and the best views are possible from the surrounding pathways.
A circular slate artifact discovered in 2005 bears inscriptions that researchers cannot definitively identify as either a sundial or an educational tool. The object's true purpose remains unknown and continues to prompt speculation among those who learn about it.
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