Castle Doornenburg is a good example of a late medieval castle with a bailey.

The castle is first mentioned in 1295. It was built in the 13th century by some local lord.

In 1402 a Dirk van Byland was given some lands in fief that included the castle. Several families succeeded each other on the castle. They changed little to the late-medieval appearance of the castle. The castle was never besieged.

Surrounded by an extra canal, the main castle can only be reached by a long narrow bridge that also can be lifted. In this - so called "Donjon" the castlelord lived and ruled over the surrounding lands.

It isn't known how the castle looked back then.
The oldest parts of the present structure date back to the 14th century. The castle then consisted of a large hall with cellars and a walled rectangular courtyard on a moated island. There's evidence that the hall was plastered red on the outside.

The castle now consists of a main stronghold and a fore stronghold, connected with a narrow wooden bridge. The walled bailey is unique in the Netherlands.

The bailey was probably constructed at the same time as the castle, somewhere around the end of the 14th century. The bailey is a not quite regular, right-angled walled area. At the northside and along a part of the eastwall there is a wall walk. There's a tower in the middle of the eastwall. There's a small squarre tower on the northeast corner. The gatehouse consists of a passage between two round towers. There's also a chapel on the bailey, probably of some later date. The castle farm probably dates from the 17th and 18th century.

Deterioration of the castle prevented further habitation in the 19th century. In 1936 the Foundation for the Preservation of Doornenburg Castle became the new owner. A thorough restoration followed in the years 1937-1942.

The castle then became a regional German headquarters with the German border just 10 minutes away. The German occupation of the castle caused it to be heavily damaged by British bombers on March 14, 1945. The fleeing Germans then blew up the gate building.

Although rebuilding the castle seemed a lost cause, the foundation again started to rebuild the castle in its late-medieval style. In 1966 Castle Doornenburg had risen again.

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