Castle Loevestein (Slot Loevestein in Dutch) is a medieval castle built by the knight Dirc Loef van Horne in 1368. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. It was built at a strategic location in the middle of the Netherlands, where the Maas and Waal rivers come together (just west of current day villages Poederoijen and Brakel, in the municipality of Zaltbommel, in Gelderland). The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Meuse (in Dutch and in German: "Maas" in Latin: "Mosa" in Celtic:"Mus" (the rootword presumingly WAAL ("The Whale" is a Classic rock radio station broadcasting at 99 Poederoijen ( is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. Brakel ( is a town in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaltbommel, and lies about 8 km east of Gorinchem Zaltbommel is a Municipality and a city in the Netherlands. The town of Zaltbommel was first mentioned as "Bomela" in the year 850 Gelderland ( English also Guelders) is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country Originally it was simply a large stone building, used to charge toll for boats on the rivers. A toll road, (also known as a tollway, turnpike, pike, or toll highway, especially if it is constructed to Freeway standards In the 17th century it was expanded into a more modern fortress with earth walls, two moats, an arsenal, and housing for a commander and soldiers. A moat is deep broad Trench, usually filled with Water, that surrounds a structure installation or town normally to provide it with a preliminary line of An arsenal is an establishment for the construction repair storage and issue of Weapons and Ammunition. The castle soon became a prison for political prisoners. A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of A political prisoner is someone held in Prison or otherwise detained perhaps under House arrest, for his or her involvement in political activity A famous resident was Hugo de Groot (Hugo Grotius) who was serving out a lifelong sentence since 1619. Hugo Grotius or Huig de Groot, or Hugo de Groot; ( Delft, 10 April 1583 Rostock, 28 August 1645 In 1621 Hugo de Groot managed to pull off a daring and famous escape in a book-chest.
Until the Second World War Loevestein Castle was part of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie, the main Dutch defense line. History The Dutch Water Line was a series of water based defences conceived by Maurice of Nassau and realised by his half brother Frederick Henry.
Currently the castle is used as a medieval museum.
In literature
In Alexandre Dumas, père's The Black Tulip, the main character Cornelius Van Baerle is imprisoned in the Loevestein. The Black Tulip is an historical fiction novel written by Alexandre Dumas père.
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