Storytime: this is the story of Huis te Palenstein

You have probably heard of Huis te Palenstein. This was a castle that once stood in the Dorpsstraat. What was this place and where has the castle gone? This is the story!

Castle in the Dorpsstraat

The story surrounding the castle begins with Willem van Egmond. This knight and master craftsman of Zegwaart had a fortified house built sometime around 1370. This was presumably built at an already existing farm (farm) on the current Dorpsstraat. In 1398 this house was first called Palenstein, probably because it was built on stilts. In 1405 Palenstein was described as a house and homestead (farm) with a canal and an orchard.

Huge terrain

The site of Huis te Palenstein (Palensteyn) was enormous. It stretched from the current Dorpsstraat 86 to number 116. There was a moat around the house. To the east lay an orchard, to the west a farm. This farm provided the residents of Huis te Palenstein with food and drink. It is clear that the castle was really a status symbol and not necessarily a military function.

National politics

The castle remained in the family of Willem van Egmond for a long time. Wouter van Egmond, a descendant of Willem, moved into the castle in 1473. In his time, the castle also briefly had a military function. Zegwaart had become involved in national politics under the reign of Wouter van Egmond. At the time there was a conflict between two Dutch counties: the Kabeljauwen and the Hoeken. Sometime between 1488 and 1490, six Leiden soldiers stayed in the castle for thirty days. In this way, van Egmond supported the liberation of Rotterdam, which was occupied by the Hoeken.

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Decay of the castle

Wouter van Egmond was the last active inhabitant of the castle. His successors had their interests elsewhere and the castle’s premises gradually fell into disrepair. Craftsman Jacob van Wijngaarden had a new house built on the site in 1645, which was not used for habitation, but as the administrative center of the village.

New look

Nevertheless, Huis te Palenstein made a comeback. The Osy family bought the craftsmanship (administrative unit) Zegwaart and the prestige of Huis te Palenstein increased again. In 1791, architect Jan Guidici designed a large country house. All nice of course, but the Osy family lived in Belgium and therefore hardly used the house. In 1888 the family sold the castle. A small portion of the northwest wing remained standing and became a warehouse for Bernardus Brinkers’ margarine factory. The rest of the castle was demolished. However, the facade stone of Huis te Palenstein has been preserved, it has been placed on the border of the old site, next to Dorpsstraat 110.

Sources: Zoetermeer My city and Zoetermeer Active