Kasteel Radboud

Floris V, Count of Holland, built a ring of castles across West Friesland after subduing the region in 1282, and Radboud at Medemblik is the one that survives - a square brick castle with round corner towers and a moat, on the harbour, put up not to defend the Frisians but to control them, which the local population understood and resented. It was reduced over the centuries and only part of the original plan stands; what is left was restored heavily in the 1890s by Pierre Cuypers, the architect of the Rijksmuseum, in a manner that added as much as it preserved. Inside is a knights' hall and an exhibition on Floris and the castle ring. Medemblik around it is one of the oldest towns in the province, a working harbour on the IJsselmeer with a marina, and the terminus of the museum steam railway from Hoorn.

What's there

• A count's control castle - one of the ring built after 1282 to hold West Friesland.
• Part of the original - the rest reduced over the centuries.
• Cuypers's restoration - heavy 1890s work by the Rijksmuseum architect.
• A steam railway terminus - the museum line from Hoorn ending at the town.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

What to expect

Only part of the castle survives and much of what stands is 1890s restoration. Seasonal opening with limited winter hours. The steam railway runs a seasonal timetable and books up.

Nearby

Enkhuizen and the Zuiderzee Museum are south-east; Hoorn is south.

Key facts