Kasteel van Gouda, Medieval castle ruins in Gouda, Netherlands
Kasteel van Gouda is a medieval castle in Gouda featuring a rectangular design with six defensive towers and thick walls roughly 2.70 meters wide. It was positioned at the southern edge of the city center, anchoring this part of town strategically.
Construction of the castle began in 1361 under Jan van Blois and required removing sections of the city walls to make room. The project was completed in 1384, marking Gouda as a fortified late medieval settlement.
The castle served as a residence for important figures like Jacoba van Beieren, who commanded military forces during the Hook and Cod wars and shaped local history. Her presence here remains a topic of local storytelling that connects people to the place's past.
Today visitors can view the preserved remains at Houtmansplantsoen, where sections of walls and vaults are visible above ground. The site is easy to access from the city center and offers straightforward viewing of this archaeological spot.
Excavations in 1938 uncovered tower foundations that revealed important construction details. Notably, residents discovered a roughly 10-meter underground passage beneath their homes during the 1980s, showing the castle's hidden network beneath the city.
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