Doorwerth Castle Doorwerth Castle is a medieval castle situated on the river Rhine near the city of Arnhem , Netherlands . History . The original castle , probably wooden , is first mentioned in 1260 when it was besieged and burned to the ground , after which it was rebuilt in stone . In 1280 this second castle was again besieged and this time the bailey was burned down . This castle probably consisted of a simple hall - keep , two stories high with 1 . 20 meter thick walls , and featured a surrounding moat which was fed by the nearby river Rhine . During the 14th century the castle was continually enlarged . Doorwerth Castle was originally the property of the Van Dorenweerd family . In 1402 Robert van Dorenweerd dedicated the castle to the Count of Gelre , Reinald IV . In return Robert was granted the castle and its land in fief . Around the middle of the 15th century the castle was enlarged again , this time by knight Reinald van Homoet , the 10th Lord of Dorenweerd , who was also the owner of Doornenburg Castle . Doorwerth Castle reached its largest form just after the middle of the 16th century under Daem Schellart van Obbendorf , the 15th Lord of Dorenweerd . He made the castle and the group of buildings on the bailey into a unity and adjusted them for more space and comfort . By 1560 Doorwerth Castle had almost reached its present appearance . Around 1637 the bailey was rebuilt to its present appearance and a dike was built around the castle to protect it from flooding of the river Rhine . Shortly after , the castle changed ownership due to financial problems and was granted in fief to a German Count , Anton I van Aldenburg . His successors did not alter the castle or bailey but did acquire more land . At the end of the 18th century the castle was no longer inhabited , but was looked after by a steward for its owners who now lived in England . Modern times . As a result , the castle was in a neglected state when it was bought , in 1837 , by the baron JAP . van Brakell . He carried out a thorough restoration and a complete modernization of the castle . This revival of the castle only lasted for a short time ; after the baron ' s death in 1844 the castle again fell into neglect . It remained neglected until 1910 , when it was bought by retired artillery officer Frederic Adolph Hoefer . Again the castle was thoroughly restored , undoing some of the 19th century alterations and additions . After 1913 it was used as a Dutch Artillery Museum . The castle suffered heavily in 1944 as a result of German destructiveness and Allied shelling during World War II . Directly after WW II a lengthy restoration began that lasted until 1983 . By then the castle was back into its 18th century state and was owned by the " Friends of the Castles of Gelderland " foundation who now maintain the castle as a museum . In 1969 - 1970 , Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema wrote his famous book " Soldaat van Oranje " ( Soldier of Orange ) in the restaurant Beaulieu . Dutch film director Stephan Brenninkmeijer was born at Doorwerth castle in 1964 and lived there until 1970 . In 2004 , the Castle was investigated for the ghosts allegedly haunting it by the British paranormal television show Most Haunted . References . Kransber , D . & H . Mils , " Kastelengids van Nederland , middeleeuwen " , Bussem 1979 ( ISBN 90 - 228 - 3856 - 0 ) Kalkwiek , K . A . , A . I . J . M . Schellart , H . P . H . Jansen & P . W . Geudeke , " Atlas van de Nederlandse kastelen " , Alphen aan den Rijn 1980 ( ISBN 90 - 218 - 2477 - 9 ) Helsdingen , H . W . van , " Gids voor de Nederlandse kastelen en buitenplaatsen " , Amsterdam 1966 Tromp , H . M . J . , " Kijk op kastelen " Amsterdam 1979 ( ISBN 90 - 10 - 02446 - 6 )