Amerongen castle
Description
On Saturday 27 June 2009, you are welcome to join an exclusive guided tour of approximately 1.5 hours through and around Amerongen Castle. You will see the house, hear about the renovation and visit the gardens. Afterwards, we will have a drink at a nearby venue.
There is ample parking at the castle and it costs nothing.
The history of Amerongen Castle officially begins in 1286. But in those early years, the Castle was destroyed and rebuilt several times. In 1557, the House was sold to Goert van Reede van Saesveld. The first map depicting Amerongen Castle dates from 1597, the year in which the House was recognised as a Knights' Court. Frederik van Reede inherited the House from his father and in turn bequeathed it to his son Goert. With Goert's son Godard Adriaan van Reede, who took possession of the house in 1641, a new era dawned for the house.
Reconstruction in 1673
Godard Adriaan van Reede is known as a representative of the Netherlands abroad. Together with his wife Margaretha Turnor, he embellished the House. In 1673, the Castle, from which Godard and his wife had meanwhile fled, was set on fire with faggots by French troops. Under Margaret's supervision, a new house was built after the destruction: today's Amerongen Castle. Margaret turned it into a balanced and classicist building. By 1680, the house was complete. Godard Adriaan van Reede died in 1691. His son Godard, lord of Ginkel, succeeded his father as lord of Amerongen. He too pays much attention to the house and its gardens and has the nearby Lievendaal demolished in order to have a view of Amerong Mountain
Restoration
The Amerongen Castle Foundation was struggling with numerous problems towards the end of the last century: a lot of overdue maintenance and damage to the House and collection resulting, among other things, from floods from the Rhine. Due to a condemned electrical installation and stricter fire requirements, receiving visitors and organising public activities in the House was also no longer possible. To tackle these problems and prevent further decay, a restoration plan was drawn up in 2003 for both the buildings and the collection. The tour will focus on this
13:45 reception with coffee
14:00 departure 1st group
14:15 departure 2nd group
15:45 end of guided tour.
16:00 drinks
17:00 end
Location
Drostestraat 20 in Amerongen
Organiser
Region Utrecht
Name and contact details for information
Roel Troost