Kasteel den Ham

Utrecht, Netherlands, Netherlands

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Kasteel den Ham, located in Vleuten (part of Utrecht), Netherlands, is represented today primarily by its imposing Hamtoren, the largest surviving medieval residential tower in the country at around 35 meters tall with 1.5-meter-thick brick walls and six floors plus a cellar.

First documented in a 1325 charter and likely built around 1260 near an old Rhine bend for strategic defense, the original castle complex—expanded with additional towers and wings—was partially destroyed in 1481 during the Utrecht war, recognized as a ridderhofstad in 1536, and further modified with a 1642 gatehouse before falling into decay.

Most structures were demolished in the 1870s due to ruinous condition, leaving the late 15th-century tower and gate preserved through 1943 and 1963 restorations, now amid a modern residence on the moated site.