Muiderslot castle

There are many castles and fortresses in The Netherlands and I'm lucky to have visited quite a few of them already. Our most recent trip was to the Muiderslot which is a charming castle located close to Amsterdam. You can easily reach it from Amsterdam by car or public transport.

It is said to be one of best preserved castles in The Netherlands, and I must say that I agree. It's not only about the castle with its iconic shape itself, but there are beautiful gardens, castle moat and event locations too. The castle was built over 700 years ago, and the guided tour will take you to the past, so that you can experience medieval times.

The castle has been a national museum since 1878 after a massive reconstruction as it was left in decay before.

Muiderslot has opening times which vary based on the season, so it's always the best to check their website before visiting. The entrance fee is EUR 17.50 per person which might sound as a lot of money, but there is really a lot to see in the castle. And as I mentioned before, the audio guide is included in the price and it's available in many languages.

Let's go inside!

There are many rooms open to public on 3 floors (if I'm not mistaken). One of our favourite rooms was displaying plate armor. The exposition is interactive and you can try to pick up heavy parts of armor or you can even try to put it on.

We could also try to put on this helmet. I would never do it as I'm claustrophobic and it was very heavy, but my husband had a blast with it. He would take it home if he could.

Many rooms had a table full of food (not real of course 🙂). The tables were dressed in accordance with the usage of the room. Here we have a saloon which was used to drink, dance and have fun (and maybe some occasional snack)

I liked the glassware with its intricate detail.

Many people dream of having such fireplace at home.

A chair close to the fireplace for cosy evenings. Well, I don't know how cosy were the evenings in a castle without central heating during winter months.

The Knight's Hall is one of the most impressive rooms in the castle. It had a representative purpose, and therefore it is decorated with high ceiling, expensive floor and many paintings on the walls. The most important guests were welcomed in the Knight's Hall.

Another fully dressed table with most expensive delicacies.

Here we see a display of food that was available to lower social class people. It's less expensive, but nutritious. There is some bread and lots of nuts and legumes.

The castle still keep its original medieval appearance even though it was demolished and rebuilt again in the 14th century.

Here we can see the storage room with lots of local herbs such as rosemary and bay leaves.

Plenty of vegetables in the kitchen.

And some more nuts and spices. Overall, there was a large display of food, as the exposition focuses on the green 'heritage' of the region which means that it simply showcases the food from the region.

We have also climbed the stairs to the tower. The staircase was steep and narrow, and it was a challenge for me at times. Also, it was very narrow on top of the tower, so we could only spend there a few minutes before we had to let other visitors enjoy the views.

And the views.. it was worth the climb!

As you can see, the sun was setting down for the day and the museum was closing, so it was time for us go back home 🙂

See you next time...