This article first appeared in My Travelogue by Bhushavali
After Forteiland Pampus, after spending a mesmerizing night under the stars in an land - as they say 'lie in front of Pampus', we took the first boat out of Pampus next morning to visit Muiderslot. This too is a part of the Defence line of Amsterdam.
As I mentioned earlier, Defence line of Amsterdam (Stelling van Amsterdam) is a 135km long defence line built around Amsterdam at a radius of 15-20km. Its a group of 45 forts built in 1883-1920 CE. One of it is Fortress Island Pampus and another is Muiderslot.
Like Defence Line of Amsterdam there are several defence lines in the Netherlands incl. Stelling Van Amsterdam (Defence line of Amsterdam - which is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Netherlands), Nieuwe Nederlandse Waterlinie (New Dutch Waterline - which begins at Muiden & goes southwards surrounding Utrecht and ahead), Oude Nederlandse waterlinie (Old Dutch Waterline), West Brabantse Waterlinie (West Brabant Waterline), Circumvallatielinie van Groenlo and more.
All these defence waterlines served the same purpose, to protect the city in the centre (Amsterdam or Utrecht or Groenlo in each case) from enemy progression by the use of their best friend and worst enemy - WATER!!! What is your impression about water? How can you 'use' water? The Dutch have been working with water and managing water with dykes and canals since 13th C and with excellent hydraulic engineering skills since 16th C CE. They don't just manage water by protecting themselves from flooding or rains, with hydraulic engineering, but direct it and modify it in order to attack enemies with temporary flooding caused by these defence waterlines. The temporary flooding is so well managed that the waterlevel is too shallow for ships to progress but too deep for soldiers to get down and wade through, thus protecting their city from enemies!!! The whole concept is mind-boggling!!!!!
MUIDERSLOT
Unlike Pampus Island, Muiderslot is more easily accessible from Amsterdam for locals (read why in the 'how to reach' section), making it a perfect picnic spot or half-day trip from Amsterdam. For tourists Muiderslot is a great day-trip from Amsterdam if you depend on public transport & hire a cycle; or it can be done in half-day, like locals, if you hire a car from Amsterdam or atleast from Weesp.
It is one of the oldest and best preserved castles in the Netherlands. It looks perfect, like a fairytale castle! Some kind of fortification existed here since very long ago and that was acquired by Count Floris V in 1285 CE and renovated it. Later in 13th & 14th C it was further developed and renovated and that's what we see today as Muiderslot - A square castle with 4 corner towers & a central courtyard.
Ofcourse, its main purpose was defence and it has high towers to see far & wide to keep it safe from enemies. Even at the worst case if they do manage to enter the castle, there are several spiral staircases, dead-end corridors & hallways. The western tower is the oldest tower. The most fascinating thing is the corridor that runs above the draw-bridge across the moat. It has slots in them to facilitate attacking the enemies who manage to get through on it.
The most gorgeous room in the whole castle is the Knights’ Hall or Ridderzaal. This is where the Count would receive the important guests. This is filled with gorgeous paintings. Poet & writer Pieter Cornelisz Hooft lived here for 38 years and organized very many literary sojourns. This room also served as the stage for plays including Hooft's tragedy Isabella. This room also served as the tax collection & judgement room!
Unlike Pampus, this is much smaller and the castle per se can be visited pretty quickly. There are 2 routes in the main castle and they can be easily seen with an audio-guide. Both the routes begin and end at the central courtyard where the audioguides are provided & returned. The audioguides are configured with language and the route taken.
The Knight's route takes about 45 mins and the Tower route takes just 20 mins. The Knight's Route goes inside the castle and talks about the livelihood of the counts & the knights, everything from their rooms, things that they used from armory to chests to kitchen utensils, as well as their furniture & beds, the use of the various rooms etc. The Tower route, as the name suggests, goes atop the tower and this is more fun for kids and has great views of the castle and beyond. As mentioned earlier, the tower does have dead-ends which h ave been connected today by temporary bridges. Around the castle is a moat, filled with water, which is today covered much with lilies.
A major section of this premises is covered by a huge garden. The most beautiful thing here is the 'Green Tunnel' called Berceau. This is what separates the 2 major sections of the garden - Vegetable Garden called Warmoeshof & Herb Garden called Kruidhof. Originally this is where the royals took a walk, but today there are chairs & tables here for us to sit & relax & eat as well. The Herb garden is amazingly aromatic. Walking here is just so pleasing!!!
Behind the gardens is the casemates - the original bunker to store weapons, which is today again a small area with seating arrangements. On another corner is the Water Pavilion which is a modern structure where a video is showcased about why this fort is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stelling Van Amsterdam - WATER being Holland's Friend & Foe. Further down, back towards the entrance is the Prune Orchard, which is where camping, dinner & bonfires happen!!!
During weekends some kid-friendly events happen here a few times a day. On the day I went there was a bird-show, with some falconry showcased and Atyudarini loved it. She was so fascinated that falcons could actually sit on a person's hand.
Tower Route has quite a few touch-screen games including trying to attack the enemies entering through on the draw-bridge with virtual catapult balls!!! This is in the room above the moat's draw-bridge. There is a treasure hunt trail as well (for an extra €2).
Here's the best place to stay in Amsterdam - Camping in Amsterdam in the front-yard of Muiderslot, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Netherlands, in a Quechua tent, enjoying the starry starry nights!
Very similar to Pampus Island here too, summer dinners & overnight stay happens in summer, from late July to end of September. The evening starts at 6PM, when the castle closes for general public, with a drink. The dinner (with your dietary restrictions taken into consideration) is then provided in a basket which could be taken anywhere in the entire castle grounds. This if followed by a beautiful sunset guided tour of the castle and the night wraps with a bonfire! You could go to sleep in a tent (in your own sleeping bag) or just enjoy the view of the splendid castle all night, beside the pristine river, under the open sky, with the sparks of the bonfire - love is definitely in the air...
Read about: Camping in Amsterdam at Pampus Island
The next day begins with a delicious, filling breakfast basket which again can be taken anywhere in the premises. There are common toilets in the castle but there no showers. But what's the need of that when you can jump into Ijmeer or Vecht! So yeah, you'd need to get your swimsuits & towels for that! The castle is again open to everyone at 10:00AM, so waking up early would be ideal to have the entire castle for yourself - Like A Queen/King!!!!!
From Muiden's ferry point, it takes just 20 minutes for reach Pampus Island. A perfect weekend getaway from Amsterdam, a 2 day trip from Amsterdam would be to spend one day in Pampus Island, one day in Muiderslot and sleeping under the stars, either in a sailing boat in Pampus or in a camping tent in Muiderslot. Or, make it a long weekend trip (3 day trip) from Amsterdam with Friday night at Muiderslot and Saturday night at Pampus.
On Google Maps: Muiderslot, Weesp railway station, Muiden ferry point
Amsterdam to Muiderslot by car: 17km
Amsterdam to Muiderslot Ferry: Everyday there's 1 ferry that operates from Amsterdam Ijburg to Muiderslot. Pre-booking of ferry is absolutely necessary.
Amsterdam to Muiderslot by public transport: Nearest railway station - Weesp (located 4km away). Unfortunately there is no public transport from Weesp to Muiderslot, which is why I mentioned its a perfect picnic spot of locals who travel by car or own a cycle. Locals, esp., families with kids, flock here in weekends! For visitors there are 2 options -
1. Taxi: Local taxi companies like Taxi Service Weesp send a car within 30mins after a phone-call or sometimes there's an Uber in the locality (if it came to drop a passenger in the castle etc).
2. Hire a cycle: Cycle can be hired at Weesp (search online for Fietsverhuur) for less than €15 per day. Or it is also possible to hire a bike in Amsterdam and bring it by train till Weesp.
Netherlands is made for cycling and is super 'cycling-friendly'. It has this fantastic cycle hiring system called NS Fiets, where hiring a public-transport cycle costs just €3.85 per day. However it is possible to do this only if you have a Personal OV Chip Card (transport card similar to London Oyster or Brussels STIB card), which can only be purchased if you have a Dutch address or if you're from Belgium, Germany or Luxembourg. The fiets subscription works only with a personal OV chipkaart and not the anonymous one that can be bought over the counter. Here's the link to order the personal OV Chip card if you're from one of the 4 countries, and here's the link to load a Fiets subscription in your OV Chip Card.
Muiderslot Castle tickets: €15.50 (included in IAmsterdam card).
Muiderslot opening hours:
Summers: All days 10:00AM to 5:00PM.
Otherwise: Tue - Sun: 10:00AM to 5:00PM.
Camping in Amsterdam Castle Muiderslot: €99 (for 2 persons incl tents, dinner, breakfast, castle entry)
P.S: I was invited by Visit Amsterdam for review purposes, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.
