Bulgersteijn Castle

You're standing on Korte Hoogstraat, once the site of Bulgersteyn Castle. It was first mentioned in 1333, when Diederik die Visser received a house and six morgen of land from the Count of Holland, just west of what is now central Rotterdam. 

The castle stood on land owned by the Bokel family, in the domains of Bokkelsdijk, Cool, and Roodezand. The name “Bulgersteyn Castle” itself appeared only in 1390.

By 1449, the castle had fallen into disrepair and was handed over to bailiff Jan die Witte. During the Jonker Fransen War (1488–1490), it was heavily damaged. Still, part of it remained standing in 1550, when Elisabeth van Zijl, a descendant of Jan die Witte, owned it. She used it to house the poor and elderly.

Around 1578, the castle was finally demolished, partly due to decay and partly due to the Eighty Years’ War. Today, only the street name Bulgersteyn in central Rotterdam recalls this medieval stronghold.