Castle Loevestein (Slot Loevestein in Dutch) is a medieval castle built by the knight Dirc Loef van Horne in 1368. It was built at a strategic location in the middle of the Netherlands, there where the Maas and Waal rivers come together (just west of current day villages Poederoijen and Brakel , in the municipality of Zaltbommel, in Gelderland). Originally it was simply a large stone building, used to charge toll for boats on the rivers. In the 17th century it was expanded into a more modern fortress with earth walls , two moats, an arsenal, and housing for a commander and soldiers. The castle soon became a prison for political prisoners. A famous resident was Hugo de Groot (Hugo Grotius) who was serving out a lifelong sentence since 1619. In 1621 Hugo de Groot managed to pull off a daring and famous escape in a book-chest.

During the Napoleonic era the fort was part of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie .

Currently the castle is used as a medieval museum.

External links

• home page (in Dutch)