Muiderslot (Muiden Castle)

North Holland · Netherlands · Castle

In the chamber where Machteld van Velsen was violated by Count Floris V, her spirit is said to linger still.

The Muiderslot, at the mouth of the river Vecht, was built around 1280 by Count Floris V of Holland – the same count who in 1296 was imprisoned in his own castle and murdered by rebellious noblemen led by Gerard van Velsen. Tradition holds that the count had violated Van Velsen's wife Machteld, and her grieving spirit is said to linger in one of the castle's chambers to this day. The drama was immortalised in P.C. Hooft's tragedy of 1613, in which an avenging ghost also appears before the imprisoned count. Today the well-preserved moated castle is one of the most visited museums in the Netherlands.

FAQ

Where is Muiderslot (Muiden Castle) located?

Muiderslot (Muiden Castle) is in Noord-Holland, Netherlands.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Ludovic Hirlimann from 's-Gravenhage, The Netherlands · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons