Château de Voorst, Medieval castle ruins in Zwolle, Netherlands.
Château de Voorst is a medieval castle ruin set within Stinspark in Zwolle, where the remains of oval earthworks and multiple moats are still visible on the ground. The layout of the former stronghold can be read clearly from the surviving earthen ridges and ditches that outline its original shape.
The first stronghold on this site was destroyed in 1224 during a revolt by knights and peasants from Salland against the Bishop of Utrecht. The site was later rebuilt, but the castle eventually fell out of use and was abandoned over time.
The lords of Voorst once held the right to mint their own coins, a privilege shared by very few nobles and select towns at the time. This detail shows how much local power this family exercised in the region.
The site is open to the public as part of Stinspark, so you can walk through it freely at any time. Dry weather makes the earthworks easier to read, and wearing sturdy shoes helps when walking along the raised ridges.
An iron door from a 1362 siege of the castle survived the fortress destruction and is now kept at Kampen city hall. It even survived a fire in 1543, making it one of the oldest surviving metal objects from this part of the country.
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