Ruins of Brederode

Brederode was built around 1280 by the lords of Brederode, one of the leading noble families of Holland, on the dune edge near Haarlem - a square moated castle with round corner towers and a gatehouse. It was taken and burned in 1426 during the Hook and Cod civil wars, partly repaired, and wrecked again in 1573 when the Spanish took Haarlem, after which it was abandoned and quarried for stone. In 1862 it became the first monument in the Netherlands to be bought and conserved by the state, which makes it the starting point of Dutch heritage protection as a practice, and Victor de Stuers, the civil servant who drove that policy, worked from this case. What stands is walls, tower stumps, cellars and the moat, consolidated rather than rebuilt, in a wooded setting on the edge of the dunes.

What you actually see

• A moated square castle - walls, tower stumps and cellars from about 1280.
• Burned twice - in 1426 and again in 1573, then quarried for stone.
• The first state-protected monument - bought for conservation in 1862.
• A dune-edge setting - woodland around the ruin below the Kennemer dunes.

When to go

April to October. Two hours.

Honest expectations

It is a consolidated ruin with no roofed interiors and modest interpretation. Seasonal opening with limited winter hours. An hour or two covers it.

Nearby

Haarlem is south; the Kennemer dunes and the coast are west.