Kasteel van Breda

At the site of the first small settlement that would later grow into the city of Breda, a castle was built at the end of the twelfth century. Around 200 years later, Jan van Polanen I renovated this castle into a real castle with towers and a moat. In 1403, Jan's granddaughter Johanna married the German Count Engelbrecht of Nassau. With this, this eleven-year-old girl from Breda laid the foundation for the Dutch Royal Family. The Breda Castle thus became the ancestral home of the Nassaus in the Netherlands.

Jan IV, the son of Engelbrecht and Johanna, had the castle extensively renovated and expanded. However, the most significant changes were made by Hendrik III of Nassau in the sixteenth century. Due to his influential position at the court of Emperor Charles V, Hendrik travelled extensively through Southern Europe and was impressed by the Renaissance art in Italy.

Through his three marriages to wealthy women, Hendrik was wealthy enough to have the castle transformed into the first Renaissance palace above the Alps. For this, he brought architect Tomasso Vincidor de Bologna, a pupil of the famous Raphael, to oversee the project. Hendrik's inspiration was his third wife, the Spanish Mencia de Mendoza.

Even in the centuries that followed, much of the castle was demolished and rebuilt. In 1826, a new era began for the castle. Willem I decided to establish the Royal Military Academy here. Unfortunately, much of the castle's Renaissance appearance was lost during the renovation to become an academy. The corner towers were flattened, and the many beautiful dormer windows had to make way for an extra floor.

It was only in the 20th century that restorations started to take into account the historical value of the castle.
The Castle of Breda can only be visited during tours by Gilde de Baronie. From Park Valkenberg, you have a beautiful view of the main building.