Our castle is full of secrets. From hidden rooms and secret staircases to mystical vaults. And towers, of course, like the IJzer Tower, which, as it turns out, isn’t actually that old.
IRON TOWER
The IJzertoren is the striking, freestanding tower at the corner of the castle. Dukes, statues of saints, scrap metal, and a staring cow all play a part in its story. Although older than most of the houses, at 150 years old, the tower is still quite young. Would you like to take a look?
The cornerstone of the IJzer Tower was laid in 1871 by Jonker Alberic. The bricks and other building materials were mainly transported by cargo ships via the nearby Zuid-Willemsvaart. The canal, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, looked just as pristine back then as it does today.
It would not be until 1877 that the tower was completed.
The IJzertoren is not actually made of iron. It owes its name to the extensive collection of ironwork housed there. After all, this was Jonker Alberic’s great passion. The Jonker was expertly assisted in this endeavor by the castle blacksmith Hein van Balkom, who had his smithy in the gatehouse. The squire’s collection consisted of ironwork and statues of saints. Examples include hinges, grilles, fencing, weather vanes, fireplace screens, door knockers, and lanterns. As for the statues, they include angels playing music, the Madonna (the saint, not the singer!), a kneeling knight, and a Tyrolean lady in a boat…
Not much of the collection remains today. Nowadays, not a single rusty nail in the tower serves as a reminder of the enormous collection of “scrap metal.” However, the tower itself is well worth a visit. Feel free to come and marvel at the neo-Gothic architecture. From the “Raam van Bloemendaal,” an Edam cow looks down at you, and at the top of the tower, you can see the bluestone floor featuring copper statues of six Brabant dukes and duchesses. It’s quite a climb up the narrow staircase to the very top of the tower!
STEP STOOL IN THE KITCHEN
The castle’s kitchen was last used over 100 years ago. Little has changed since then. There are no dishwashers or shiny kitchen appliances here. In fact, until recently, the old pump was the only source of water. There are two taps: one for drinking water and the other for cleaning. The water was pumped from the moat into the cellar via a hand pump and then through lead pipes to the reservoir in the Water Tower, from where it was routed through pipes along the outer wall to the kitchen pump.
At the back of the kitchen is a small staircase leading to a revolving platform used to serve meals, such as to Young Lord Louis, who resided on the Entresol, the mezzanine floor above the kitchen. To signal to him that his meal was on its way, the bell on the side of the staircase was rung. There are several bells, connected to various rooms in the castle. This way, the staff on duty knew exactly where they were needed.
In the center of the kitchen—in the ceiling—is the flue, which ends in a metal plate. Cast-iron stoves, filled with white sand, sit on top of this plate. The warm air from the fire in the kitchen rose, heating the sand in the stoves and, in turn, the rooms. The wall tiles are so-called “witjes” from the 17th century. The kitchen floor is authentic, made of hand-turned baked clay tiles from the 17th century. They were made using two different types of clay, creating a “marble” effect.
The game rack was used to hang the meat. In work areas, such as this kitchen, ox blood was used to add color to the paint for the woodwork. This was achieved by mixing ox blood with paint. They did this not only for the color, but also for another reason: an extra tax had to be paid on oak wood, and once painted, the type of wood used could not be distinguished. Mixing it with blood also produced more paint that had a beautiful color and, moreover, lasted longer.
THINKING ROOM
The Tin Room was the governor’s bedroom. This room was named for the large number of tin objects that were displayed here. What remains of them can be seen along the edges. Much of the pewter was sold at auctions, and much was lost to pewter pest, which can occur when the temperature drops below 13 degrees. In the disastrous year of 1672, the French Sun King, Louis XIV, stayed in this room. He took up residence at Heeswijk Castle to wage war from there, together with England, against the Netherlands, Sweden, and a few German princes. When the Sun King realized victory was not forthcoming, he returned to France without an army—but not before leaving the castle in ruins.
A distinctive feature of this room is the paneling. These ebony panels with inlaid meander patterns were designed by architect Snickers. All but two of them are unique. If you look closely at the panels, you can make out a door and perhaps even the doorknob. This secret door leads to a “toilet,” or a medieval lavatory. In those days, of course, it wasn’t considered proper for a noble to reveal where they relieved themselves.