Assumburg Castle
Assumburg Castle is situated in Heemskerk, a few kilometer above Haarlem in the north-west of the province of North- Holland. The first house was build in the 13th century, but the oldest remains of the building are from the end of the 15th century. Assumburg is a socalled coulisse castle. This means that the house seems to be impregnable, but this is only fake. Giving the enemy the impression that it was impregnable was sometimes enough. In fact the walls are so thin that the first the best gunshot was enough to make a big hole in the wall.
The south-east side of the castle. You have to admitt it's quite impressive
In 1610 the house was altered and again in 1700. Only the south side was kept as it was. In 1867 the last occupant of the house died, and the decay started. In 1911 the owner sold the house to the goverment after everything useful was taken out of it. The complete interior of the big hall including mirrors, frames and panelling was taken to Marquette Castle, at the other side of Heemskerk.
Marquette Castle in Heemskerk
Gerrit van Assendelft, son of one of the Lords van Assendelft went for study to Orléans. There he was caught by his host, who found him together with his daughter. Gerrit was forced to marry the girl and eventually took her home. The marriage was not very happy and they separated. Gerrit gave her a house in The Hague, where she lead a very luxurious live. Too luxurious according to her finances. They found out that she was an utterer of false coin, together with her chaplain. They were convicted to death. The chaplain and their complices died at the scafold and she was convicted to the stake, but because she was the wife of a highley placed person she was killed by drowning. They put a funnel in her mouth and poured water into it, till she suffocated. She still haunts the house in The Hague and all her apparations have anything to do with water. In the dungeons of Assumburg Castle is a treasure hidden, which is guarded by the ghost of a mad woman. Everybody who wants to dig for the treasure is haunted by the insane ghost. Don't bother looking for it, it is a treasure with false coins.
The frontside of Assumburg Castle.
Nowadays the house is used as a hostel.
