This castle-like stately home, De Schaffelaar, is one of a kind in the Netherlands. Its turrets and crenelated walls make it a rare example of a manor house of neo-gothic style, and the only one in the Tudor revival style in the Netherlands. The house has been restored completely and is a venue for parties and events. The park is open to the public.
De Schaffelaar Castle
Many years before the house was built, there was a robust castle with a moat, which was destroyed by the Spanish in 1585. The original castle was located in what is now known as the ‘Koewei’, 250 metres away from where the current house stands. The castle’s former moat is still clearly visible. Later, a new stately home was built on the original site which was named after the folk hero, Jan van Schaffelaar, who jumped off the church tower in Barneveld. Apart from the name however, the house has little in common with Jan van Schaffelaar.
The new house
In 1800, the house burnt down and was not replaced until 1852, when the owner of the land, Baron Van Zuylen van Nievelt, built a new one: not on the old site, but here in its current location. The baron was inspired by the English Tudor and late medieval gothic styles with frivolous turrets, battlements, balustrades and cast-iron window decoration. The noble Van Zuylen van Nievelt family lived in the house until 1935 when they could no longer afford the prohibitive maintenance costs.
Decay and renewal
During WWII, the house and its estate served as internment camp for ‘protected’ Jews in accordance with the Frederick’s Plan, these Jewish people were given preferential treatment because they had worked for the Germans. After the war, people wounded in the war and South-Moluccans were accommodated here. Later still, the manor house was used as a military school for the Dutch civil defence corps (Bescherming Bevolking), a typing school, and a sports school. By the end of the nineteen sixties, the house had been deserted, and had fallen into a state of disrepair. In 1967, it became property of the municipality of Barneveld, who paid for its restoration. Since then, the house has been a venue for parties and events. The beautiful park is open to the public and has a tasteful restaurant in the renovated orangery.
