| Notes |
- Gerard Splinter van Ruwiel (or Ruweel) b. ~1240
He built the Nijenrode castle in 1270.
He lived and remained in his 'Ruwiel Castle' on the river Aa close by.
Ruwiel was not only the name of the castle, but also of an area, where Lord Ruwiel had (limited) judiciary power. He held court and could fine or convict people. However, the death penalty could only be administered by the Bishop (of Utrecht).
He died after 1297.
In the mid-thirteenth century, so it is told, Lord Gerard Splinter van Ruwiel (Rueel) built a castle, which he called Nyenrode. Later his son Gijsbrecht allegedly adopted the name of the castle. The location was well chosen: a sandy ridge, which could support the heavy construction, surrounded by peat, which made it possible in times of danger to use water for the defense of the castle. The direct vicinity of the River Vecht was a source of income as the passing ships could be made to pay a toll for their passage. The name Nyenrode literally means "newly" (Nyen-) "developed ground" (-rode).
In the course of the centuries, Nyenrode has been known by many different names. As captions for illustrations, paintings and brass etchings, one can come across names like Nyenroy, Nienroode, Nijenroden, Niewenrode en Nieurode. The spelling "Nyenrode" is the name of the Van Nyenrode family, as it is found on the family graves in the church of Breukelen.
The Coat of Arms
The Nyenrode coat of arms is a combination of the Ruwiel family blazon and that of the house of Persijn. In 1392, Gijsbrecht van Nyenrode's grandson, Gijsbrecht II, added the coat of arms of his mother, Maria van Persijn van Velsen, to the Nyenrode coat of arms. The division into four parts with the 1st and 4th part in gold with a red bar across, are the elements of the Ruwiel coat of arms. The Persijn elements are the 2nd and 3rd parts with a blue bar across, within the gold parts 9 St. Andrew's crosses. The Nyenrode coat of arms can be found in the logo of the present-day University. The coat of arms of Ruwiel is still present in for instance the shutters of the Castle. On the A2 highway from Utrecht to Amsterdam, on your right-hand side, after the 'Breukelen' exit, you will notice a Shell gas station with the name of Ruwiel. This is roughly the location where, between Breukelen and Ter Aa, where the original Castle Ruwiel was located.
The Banner
The banner of Nyenrode consists of 3 bars of yellow, red and yellow. The banner is raised on a red and yellow pole, with the colors alternating spiral-wise. The banner is derived from the original coat of arms of the Ruwiel family. In the clothing of the student-associations at Nyenrode, the colors yellow and red are used quite regularly, as they are still the official colors of Universiteit Nyenrode
History of the Castle, Estate and its Owners
1275
In about 1275, in the days of Count Floris V, and during the period that the cathedral city Utrecht was developing into a market town and the River Vecht was part of the navigation route to the South Sea, Knight Gerard Splinter van Ruwiel laid the first foundations for Castle Nyenrode. His coat of arms was a red bar in a field of gold. This is still visible among other things in the shutters of the Castle. The location of the Castle was well-chosen: a sandy ridge, which could carry the heavy construction surrounded by peat, so that one could make use of the surrounding water to defend the Castle in times of need. The direct vicinity of the River Vecht was a source of income, as the passing ships were made to pay a toll.
1481-1673
The Lords Nyenrode dedicated their castle to the Count of Holland. The Castle was destroyed twice, in 1481 and in 1511. In 1539 the Barons Van den Bongard inherited the Domain of Nyenrode. It was Bernard van den Bongard III who turned the castle into a castle like manor between 1632 and 1642 and who modernized and beautified the outward appearance of the building. The Castle thus was given the typical characteristics of a knightly mansion in the Dutch Renaissance style, namely a house with a castle-like form and a drawbridge. Many examples of such houses could be found in the province of Utrecht. In 1672, the French had their headquarters at Nyenrode. At the advance of Stadtholder King William II, the French set fire to the Castle on September 6, 1673. Johan Ortt, who bought the Castle in 1675, repaired the damage caused by the fire.
1675-1950
From 1675 to1853 Nyenrode was owned by the Ortt family, merchants (cloth manufacturers and corn merchants) in Amsterdam. They bought Nyenrode together with the Domain Breukelen for Dfl. 40,000.
After that, two generations of the industrial family De Heus occupied the Castle. From 1907 to 1934 Michiel Onnes (a German coffee-merchant) lived at Nyenrode. He restored the Castle and the surrounding park to its former glory of the period of Van den Bongard. The entire project cost him one million Dutch guilders. Between 1916 and 1918 the Gate building was built and the coach house reconstructed. Also the dungeon was completely re-built on its old foundation and raised by one floor. It had never been this high before. Subsequently, the art-dealer Jacques Goudstikker owned the estate. He died in an accident in May 1940. After World War II, Ms Désirée Goudstikker, who then owned the entire property, let Nyenrode to the Foundation N.O.I.B. (Dutch Foreign Service Training Institute) in 1948. Soon afterwards she sold it to the Foundation Nyenrode for Dfl. 250,000.
SOURCE:www.nyenrode.nl/
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1240 - 1297 (57 years)