Castle Loevestein (Slot Loevestein in Dutch) is a medieval castle built by the knight Dirc Loef van Horne in 1368. It was built at a strategic location in the middle of the Netherlands, where the Maas and Waal rivers come together (just west of current day villages Poederoijen and Brakel, in the municipality of Zaltbommel, in Gelderland). Originally it was simply a large stone building, used to charge toll for boats on the rivers. In the 17th century it was expanded into a more modern fortress with earth walls, two moats, an arsenal, and housing for a commander and soldiers. The castle soon became a prison for political prisoners. A famous resident was Hugo de Groot (Hugo Grotius) who was serving out a lifelong sentence since 1619. In 1621 Hugo de Groot managed to pull off a daring and famous escape in a book-chest.

Until the Second World War Loevestein Castle was part of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie, the main Dutch defense line.

Currently the castle is used as a medieval museum.

In literature

In Alexandre Dumas, père's The Black Tulip, the main character Cornelius Van Baerle is imprisoned in the Loevestein.

External links

• home page (in Dutch)