page_title: Ammersoyen Castle
section_title: French invasion
hierarchical_section_title: Ammersoyen Castle / History / 18th century–present / French invasion
caption_attribution_description: English: Arthur baron de Woëlmont. Ammersoyen Castle seen from the north-east. c 1868. Photo. From John Box (1870) Chronicles of the Castle of Amelroy, London: s.n. Nederlands: Arthur baron de Woëlmont. Kasteel Ammersoyen vanuit het nooroosten. Ca. 1868. Foto. Afkomstig uit John Box (1870) Chronicles of the Castle of Amelroy, London: s.n.
context_page_description: Ammersoyen Castle is located in Ammerzoden in the Bommelerwaard region in the province of Gelderland, the Netherlands. When the original construction of the castle occurred is unclear; some sources claim it was as early as the 12th century. However, the consensus among historians is that the Van Herlaer family completed the castle in the 1350s. At the time of its construction, the castle was built along a branch of the River Maas. Just a few years after the construction of the castle was completed, the river was rerouted leaving the castle to be surrounded by a moat.
context_section_description: Not long after the rebuilding was completed in mid-17th century, King Louis XIV of France invaded the Netherlands. This invasion was during the Franco-Dutch War, or the Dutch War as it is commonly referred to. This War was, in part, started in response to the Dutch signing an alliance with the Spanish and English against the French in the War of Devolution in the 1660s. King Louis XIV saw this as a betrayal from the Dutch and decided to invade the Dutch in response.
  By the time the French soldiers arrived at the castle in 1672, the Van Arkels were able to regain some of their prior wealth. As the French made their way through the Dutch countryside, they destroyed numerous castles. The French soldiers also threatened to destroy the Ammersoyen Castle, but Thomas Van Arkel was able to buy the castle's safety from the French by offering the French commanding officer 7000 guilders. While this ensured the castle's safety, it left the Van Arkels in a severe amount of debt. This debt meant that the final interior redecorating under the Van Arkels could not be completed. In 1693, following the death of the last Van Arkels, Thomas, the castle came into the hands of a number of other Dutch families over the next century. The owners of the castle during this period were often very rich families who had various estates throughout the region and spent little time at the castle.
  The last of the families to own the castle was the Woelmont family, in the mid-19th century. The last lord of Ammersoyen was Arthuer de Woelmont, who bought the castle in 1856. Over the course of the next 17 years, he eventually sold all of the possessions of the castle, and in 1873 he sold the castle to the Roman Catholic Church in Ammerzoden.
  By 1876, the castle was transformed into a convent for use by the Poor Clares. The castle thus became the second Clarisse Convent in the Netherlands. The nuns made significant changes to the grounds when they lived in the castle. The moat was filled in and a chapel was built on the grounds, which is still there today. The start of World War II led to the end to the convent as the area was bombed heavily. Much of the castle and grounds were destroyed during the Allied bombings of WWII. The castle allowed the people of the town a place to seek shelter during the war, although by the end of the war, not much of the castle was left standing. After the war, a local businessman used the castle as a factory that produced washing machines.
  In 1957, the Friends of Gelderland Castles Foundation bought the castle and made extensive repairs. Over the course of the next 16 years, they were able to restore the castle to its original medieval construction. This meant undoing many of the structural changes that have taken place over the centuries. While this sounds like a very difficult job, many of the changes that had taken place were actually just covered up by plaster and bricks. So recovering the original layout was actually not that taxing. They have restored the rooms to their original size and height, reconstructed chimneys, and moved staircases. The foundation was able to recover numerous artifacts from throughout the castle's history by digging up the filled in moat.  Among the pieces found were fragments of pottery, stoneware, glass, silver, bronze, and tin. These artifacts are now on display in the castle's attic. The castle and grounds were fully restored by 1976, and today it is open to the public for tours and other functions. From 1976 until 1999 the castle was used not only as a tourist attraction, but also as an official town hall and meeting place for the local municipality. After the Ammerzoden municipality ceased to exist in 1999, the meetings were moved from the castle.
caption: Ammersoyen Castle in ca. 1868
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