The history of Slangenburg Castle
The present Slangenburg was largely built around 1700, but there was probably a manor of this name as early as the fourteenth century. It would have been owned by Maes (Thomas) van Baer. Only in the late fifteenth, early sixteenth century did this manor grow into a large L-shaped building, with a round tower on the western corner. In 1585, State troops looted Slangenburg and nothing more than a ruin remained.
In the early seventeenth century, Frederick van Baer decided to restore his ancestral home. This is in 1612, as can be seen on a gable stone on the garden side. The L-shape is maintained: there is a long wing on the southwest side and a short wing on the northwest side, with a corner tower. The entrance at that time is on the southwest side, through the present garden at the rear.
His grandson, Frederik Johan van Baer, inherits the estate in 1653. He is a high-ranking soldier in the army of William III, prince of Orange. In his time, Slangenburg Castle undergoes a major renovation, inspired by Het Loo Palace, which has just been completed at that time.
Van Baer had the old castle doubled around 1700, turning it into a symmetrical palace. A second tower is added, a mirror image of the old tower. Furthermore, the entrance was moved to the east side, and a wide vestibule was built as the entrance. This is immediately the corridor that connects all the important rooms.
Wings are built on both sides of the new forecourt, with the great hall in the right wing. He also has building houses built on both sides of the forecourt. This goes hand in hand with the redevelopment of the surrounding estate, including ornamental gardens and avenues.
Frederick Johan also invested in an opulent interior for the castle, with beautiful wall paneling, fireplaces and stucco ceilings. Many of the allegorical and mythological wall and ceiling paintings were created by the famous painter Gerard Hoet (1648-1733), including scenes from Virgil's Aeneas.
Map of Slangenburg from 1641
Seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
Little is known about Frederik Johan van Baer's early years. At age 20, in 1665, he married Dorothea Petronella van Steenbergen tot Duijstervoorde. The marriage does not last long; Dorothea dies the following year. Frederik Johan remains alone for the rest of his life.
Because of his Catholic background, Van Baer can only pursue a career in the military. Fortunately, this turns out to be his vocation. He quickly climbs higher: from major in 1672 to lieutenant colonel in 1673. Within a few years he even gains command of a regiment and becomes a brigadier. Ten years later he is major general and in 1690 he is promoted for the last time. He is then lieutenant general of infantry.
Van Baer reached the peak of his career during the War of the Spanish Succession, early in the eighteenth century. He is appointed as one of the chief officers. On December 15, 1713, Frederik Johan died childless.
After his death, his nephew Johan Derck van Steenbergen tot Nijenbeek inherits Slangenburg. He too dies without children and the estate goes to his sister in 1727. That side of the family runs into money problems and sells Slangenburg in 1772 to Adriaan Steengracht. He cannot enjoy it for long: a year later he dies and his brother Cornelis becomes the new lord of the castle.
Cornelis will modernize and have cross windows replaced with modern sash windows. In addition, he had new wall decorations added to four of the rooms. This renovation is also commemorated with a gable stone on the garden side with the inscription 'C. Steengracht 1774'.
Nineteenth and twentieth centuries
The heirs of Cornelis Steengracht sold the castle at auction in 1895 to German industrialist Arnold Passmann. At first, he is primarily interested in the timber the estate provides. Once at Slangenburg, he is so impressed that he decides to manage the castle himself. Passmann commissions a major restoration during the period 1895-1910 and also stipulates that no individual parts of the castle may be sold.
The Passmann family does not live in the castle permanently, but comes there often. For example, it is also used for family celebrations. That Slangenburg is beloved is also shown by the fact that Passmann even had a family cemetery built on the estate. This one is still there today.
Because it is German property, after World War II the castle is expropriated by the Dutch Management Institute (NBI) established by the government. The NBI leases it to the Benedictine monks, who have a monastery built on the grounds. Five years later, the NBI sells Slangenburg to the state for 1 million guilders. In 1952, St. Willibrord's Abbey is completed and Slangenburg becomes the guesthouse of the monastery.
Restoration plans
Twenty-first century
Since 2016, Slangenburg has been owned by Stichting Monumentenbezit, and since 2023 the foundation has also been in charge of its management. Although parts of the castle were modified in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, the rich late 17th-century phase still defines the house and estate. Monument Property is now working on restoration so that as many people as possible can experience this unique heritage.
