Zuylenstein

Huis Zuylenstein (Zuylestein or Zuilenstein) was a recognized knight's court town in Leersum, municipality of Utrechtse Heuvelrug (province of Utrecht).

The house is already mentioned in a loan register of the Bishop of Utrecht at the end of the 14th century. One of the first known mentions dates from 1465 when Johan van Zuylen van Natewisch was granted it. The name was then Sulensteyne. During the clearing of the rubble after the bombing of 1945, stones from that time were found.

In 1536 the house was recognized as the knight's court town of Zuylestein. From 1549, Eernst van Nijenrode, mayor of Utrecht, was the owner of the ridderhofstad. His daughter Geertruid inherited Zuylestein in 1558. She was married to Godert van Reede van Saesfeld (1516-1585), who already owned Amerongen . Godert and Geertruid had 5 children. Godert appoints his daughter Aleida van Reede, Lady of Zuylestein, as heiress of Zuylestein with the condition that if she remains childless, the property will belong to her brother Frederick. When Frederik van Reede died in 1611, she handed over Zuylestein to her cousin Johan van Renesse. However, Frederik van Reede's children are challenging this sale.

In 1611 Johan van Renesse obtained the castle, and in 1630 Frederik Hendrik van Oranje became the new owner for 35,000 guilders. No expense was spared to give the knight's court town of Zuylestein a distinguished appearance. Various garden designs date from that time. The territory was expanded. From 1632 Leersum also belonged to the territory.

This purchase made it possible in 1640 to make his bastard son Frederik a member of the Utrecht Knighthood. He had the house remodeled and raised the tower above the entrance. On the south side a forecourt was built, and on the east side a gatehouse with stables was built. It became more and more a castle, although it had no defensive function. His bastard son was henceforth called Frederick of Nassau-Zuylenstein.

In the disastrous year 1672, Zuylestein was spared from plunder by the French troops. Almost three centuries later, Zuylestein was still destroyed by war when, on the advice of Groep Kees , it was bombed by twelve fighter planes on 24 and 25 March 1945 in the hope of hitting SS commander Martin Kohlroser . The Oberführer was absent.

What remains now is a Renaissance-style estate. The entrance gate was made by the Roermond architect Pierre Cuypers. The gatehouse and orangery have been restored. In 1980 a country house was built by the Van Aldenburg-Bentinck family.

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