Coldenhove Castle (Dutch : Kasteel Coldenhove) was a castle in Eerbeek, the Netherlands. Due to its excellent location in the Veluwe, the castle used as hunting lodge by the dukes of Guelders and the princes of Orange. Nothing remains anymore of the castle or its gardens.
A variation on the name is Koldenhoven.
Around 1300, the counts of Guelders constructed a castle in Coldenhove near Eerbeek. [1] [2] Due to its location on the Veluwe with its excellent hunting grounds, it was primarily used as hunting lodge. [1] [2] In 1516, Charles II, Duke of Guelders (1467-1538) sells the castle to his huntsman, Gerrit van Scherpenzeel, landdrost of the Veluwe. [1] [2] Together with his son, he creates a small paradise of gardens and ponds around the castle. [1] [2] Duke Charles II was so impressed that in 1536 he exchanges his main seat, the castle of Rozendaal, for Coldenhove castle. [1] [2] [3]
When the duke passed away in 1538, a war started for the succession in Guelders as there was no legitimate heir. [4] Coldenhove castle, however, was inherited by Karel van Gelre tot Coldenhove (1508-1568). [4] One of the two illegitimate sons the duke had with Anna van Roderloo. [4] Their descendants sold the castle and its estate to Gerrit Boshoff in 1611. [4] The Boshoff family owned the castle for most of the seventeenth century. [4] [5] In the 1690s, times were difficult and the estate was heavily mortgaged. [4] [5] In 1700, the castle was sold to king William III. [4] [5]
King-stadtholder William III (1650-1702) was very fond of hunting. [1] [2] In his first part of his reign as stadtholder, he spent as much as ten weeks a year hunting in the Veluwe. [1] [2] William III and Mary Stuart (1662-1694) had various houses in this area, like the Hof te Dieren and the palace Het Loo. [1] [2] Also, their entourage had their seats here like Middachten Castle, Rozendaal castle or de Huis de Voorst. [1] [2] In 1700, William acquired Coldenhove. [1] [2] William wanted Coldenhove to become as impressive as Het Loo itself. [1] [2] [6]
The Dutch national archives contain the design for the impressive gardens around the palace including various large ponds. [1] [2] [6] Some scholars attribute the plan to the architect Daniel Marot (1661-1752) [1] [2] [6] Other scholars think that the design has been made by Jan van Arnhem (1636-1716), friend of William III and owner of Rozendael castle, where he designed similar gardens including a similar set of large ponds. [5] [7]
During the reconstruction of the castle, it unfortunately burned down in 1701. [1] [2] [6] It was not reconstructed as the king died due to a horse incident in 1702. [1] [2] Some scholars argue that instead of fire, the old castle was demolished and no replacement was constructed due to the early passing of the king. [5] There are no design known how the new castle should have look liked, and if the architect would have been the same. The gardens were (largely) realized and remained intact up to around 1770, when the ponds disappeared. [5]
Until 1795, the estate remained property of the princes of Orange. [1] [2] After which, it was confiscated and sold. [1] [2] Today, at the location of the castle, there is a paper mill ('Neenah Coldenhove'). [1] [2] [5] Nothing reminds anymore of the palace. [5] Archeological research did not reveal any remains. However, digital elevation research revealed that the landscape still contains traces of the former gardens. [5] This primarily concerns the pond basins. [5]
Arnhem is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of the rivers Nederrijn and Sint-Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development.
Gelderland, also known as Guelders in English, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of 5,136 km2 (1,983 sq mi) of which 176 km2 (68 sq mi) is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by total area. Gelderland shares borders with six other provinces and the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Zutphen is a city and municipality located in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. It lies some 30 km (18.6 mi) northeast of Arnhem, on the eastern bank of the river IJssel at the point where it is joined by the Berkel. First mentioned in the 11th century, the place-name appears to mean "south fen". In 2005, the municipality of Zutphen was merged with the municipality of Warnsveld, retaining its name. In 2021, the municipality had a population of 48,111.
The Duchy of Guelders is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.
Brummen is a municipality and a village in the eastern Netherlands.
Lochem is a city and municipality in the province of Gelderland in the Eastern Netherlands. In 2005, it merged with the municipality of Gorssel, retaining the name of Lochem. As of 2019, it had a population of 33,590.
Grave is a city and former municipality in the Dutch province of North Brabant. The former municipality had a population of 12,486 in 2021. Grave is a member of the Dutch Association of Fortified Cities.
Bronkhorst is a village in the municipality of Bronckhorst, Gelderland, the Netherlands. Technically, it is a city and, with only 157 inhabitants (2010), one of the smallest cities in the Netherlands.
Dieren is a town in the eastern Netherlands. It is located in Rheden, Gelderland, between Zutphen and Arnhem, on the bank of the IJssel.
The Guelders Wars were a series of conflicts in the Low Countries between the Duke of Burgundy, who controlled Holland, Flanders, Brabant, and Hainaut on the one side, and Charles, Duke of Guelders, who controlled Guelders, Groningen, and Frisia on the other side.
Maarten van Rossum was a military tactician of the duchy of Guelders who became field marshal in the service of Charles, Duke of Guelders. He was greatly feared outside his home country for the ruthless manner in which he waged war. In a long career, he often put his motto ""Blaken en branden is het sieraad van de oorlog" into practice. His way of waging war was quite similar to that of his Italian colleagues, the condottieri, and was characterized by guerrilla-like tactics, in which the civilian population was spared even less than was usual in his time.
Eerbeek is a town in the municipality of Brummen in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. Eerbeek was first mentioned in 1046 as Erbeke. In the 18th century, Eerbeek became a centre of paper production. Due to its proximity to the Veluwezoom National Park, Eerbeek is popular with tourists.
Willem IV, Count van den Bergh (1537-1586) was the Dutch Stadtholder of Guelders and Zutphen from 1581 until his arrest for treason in 1583.
William was Duke of Guelders, as William I, from 1377 and Duke of Jülich, as William III, from 1393. William was known for his military activities, participating in the Prussian crusade five times and battling with neighbors in France and Brabant throughout his rule. His allies included Holy Roman Emperors, Charles IV and Wenceslaus, Richard II of England, and Conrad Zöllner von Rothenstein, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. During his reign the duchies of Guelders and Jülich were temporarily unified.
Apeldoorn railway station is a railway station in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. The station was opened on 15 May 1876, on the Amsterdam–Zutphen railway. It was opened when the Amersfoort to Zutphen section was completed.
John of Nassau was a clergyman from the House of Nassau. From 1267 to 1290 he was Bishop-Elect of the Bishopric of Utrecht as John I. He did not care much for his spiritual functions, and his government also failed due to his weak political and poor financial management. During his reign, the influence of the County of Holland in the Bishopric greatly increased. John's government was one of the worst the Bishopric had to endure; without talent and energy, slavishly surrendering to all sensual pleasures, it was never possible for him to maintain the inner peace, under which the Nedersticht in particular suffered greatly.
Antoine I de Lalaing (1480–1540), 1st count of Hoogstraten and of Culemborg, was a Hainautese nobleman who held various offices in the court of the Dukes of Burgundy.
Richardis of Bavaria was a German noblewoman. She was a daughter of Count Palatine Otto I of Bavaria, who later became the first Wittelsbach Duke of Bavaria, and his wife Agnes of Loon.
Cannenburg Castle or Cannenburch Castle is a castle with a moat in the Netherlands. It is situated in Vaassen, a town in the province of Gelderland.
Hof te Dieren is a former hunting lodge in Dieren, the Netherlands. It was a favourite retreat of the princes of Orange and king-stadtholder William III at the south-eastern border of the Veluwe. Nothing remains of the lodge nor from the 19th century manor house which was built as replacement. The estate is open for visit.