Moermond Castle

Dutch castle

Just east of the village of Renesse on the former island of Schouwen in the province of Zeeland, The Netherlands we find the castle of Moermond on the edge of the dunes.
What we see now is the third castle at this place. The castle had two predecessors. During excavations after world war II there werd found the foundations of the two older castles. The first dates from about 1230 but was already demolished in 1297. At about the same place the second castle was erected. This second castle is probably demolished in about 1454. In the direct neighbourhood of this castle the third castle was built. The buildings we see today are mainly formed in the 17th century..

Castle in ruins

By the end of the 18th century the castle was almost in ruins. At the beginning of this century the owner begun new repairs. The castle had become a landmark again but in the night of 2 February 1953 during the storm of the century the waters flooded many parts of the province of Zeeland. Also the castle of Moermond became a victim. For months the water in and around the castle reached almost to a height of two meters.

Castle was restored

With the help of a new society the castle was restored anew. During the works of the Deltaplan (the erection of new dikes in the south-western part of the Netherlands) the castle was in use by Rijkswaterstaat (an institution of the government for public waterworks in the Netherlands). Since then it is used for congresses and meetings and therefore not open to other visitors.
Since the last restoration the castle is a jewel in the Zeeland landscape again.