Loevestein Castle

Gelderland · Netherlands · Castle

Rebel leader Herman de Ruiter, whose head ended up on a gallows, is said to walk the castle as a headless ghost.

Slot Loevestein, a fourteenth-century castle at the confluence of the Maas and Waal rivers, is best known as the prison Hugo Grotius escaped from hidden in a book chest. But according to legend a headless ghost walks here too: cattle trader and Geuzen leader Herman de Ruiter, who captured the castle in 1570 disguised as a monk and killed its warden. When the Spanish retook Loevestein, De Ruiter chose to ignite scattered gunpowder and die in the blast rather than face beheading – yet his head was still displayed on a gallows in Den Bosch. Over the years, visitors have reported seeing the headless figure in the castle's passages.

FAQ

Where is Loevestein Castle located?

Loevestein Castle is in Gelderland, Netherlands.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Anita from Den Haag / L'Aja / The Hague, Nederland / Olanda / The Netherlands · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons