Slot Haamstede

Burgh-Haamstede, Netherlands, Netherlands

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Slot Haamstede is a picturesque water castle in the village of Burgh-Haamstede on Schouwen-Duiveland island, Zeeland province, Netherlands, with origins as a 12th-century motte-and-bailey structure featuring a wooden keep encircled by a moat and traces of earlier Roman activity. Acquired by Count Floris IV around 1200 and later passing to the Lords of Zierikzee who adopted the Van Haamstede name, its 13th-century stone keep survived a devastating 1525 fire—sparked by celebratory illuminations after the Battle of Pavia—that razed expansions by Louis de Gruuthuse. Rebuilt in the 17th century by poet Jacob van den Eynde with added square towers and further altered in the 18th and 19th centuries, it now blends medieval remnants with Renaissance style amid nature reserve grounds managed by Natuurmonumenten since 1973, offering guided tours of its knight's hall and bunkers from World War II.