Ever heard of a castle reduced to rubble intentionally? That’s the story of Huis ter Kleef. We stand here amidst the Haarlemmer Kweektuin. Few realize they’re near a former Dutch castle. Huis ter Kleef once stood here dating back to the thirteenth century.
Let’s step back in time. Imagine 1250. A woontoren or residential tower stood here. It was then called Huis te Schoten. Pieter van Rolland owned it. It stood along a busy road between Haarlem and Schoten.
Over time Huis te Schoten changed hands. Willem de Bastaard and Willem de Cuser owned it. Catharine de Cleve then took possession. Later the Van Borsselen family acquired it. They changed its name to Huis ter Kleef. The Brederode family followed. Then came Don Frederik.
Now picture 1572 and 1573. The Spanish used Huis ter Kleef as their headquarters. This was during the Siege of Haarlem. In 1573 Don Frederik ordered it destroyed. He was the son of the Duke of Alva. His goal? To prevent the Geuzen from using it to retake Haarlem.
So Huis ter Kleef was blown up. The story doesn’t end there. In 1576 Haarlemmers began dismantling the ruins. They needed bricks to rebuild after Haarlem’s great fire.
In 1578 the Van Brederode family regained Huis ter Kleef. However they chose not to rebuild it. They occupied the Kaatsbaan. This was the only part not destroyed. It was also known as “Huis met het torentje” or the house with the turret.
Succession issues arose within the Van Brederode family. In 1600 the family inheritance rights changed. Sisters daughters and grandchildren could now inherit Huis ter Kleef. A marriage brought it to the German Count Frederik Adolf van Lippe.
But the land around Huis ter Kleef wasn’t profitable. Debts mounted. By 1713 Von Lippe had to give up some possessions. The city of Haarlem bought the ruin and surrounding land. After this the ruin crumbled faster. Haarlemmers used the stones for new houses.
Since 1909 the ruin and Kaatsbaan have been in the Stadskweektuin. Little of the ruin is visible now. Most lies beneath the sand. It’s on the island where it stands.
Artists captured the crumbling Huis ter Kleef in paintings. Jan de Beijer and Jacob van Ruisdael are among them.
So next time you’re in the Haarlemmer Kweektuin remember Huis ter Kleef. It’s a tale of ownership destruction and rebirth. The Ter Kleefkwartier reminds us of the castle’s legacy. A castle turned to a ruin to prevent its use by the enemy. Now that is some smart-aleck knowledge.