‘Een alten wonderlijcken structure ende fortresse’ De Blauwe Toren van Karel de Stoute in Gorinchem

Abstract

Despite its significance as the only Burgundian residence built ex novo in the Northern Netherlands, little is known about Charles the Bold’s castle in Gorinchem. The Blauwe Toren (Blue Tower) was constructed between 1462 and 1478 when Charles was still Count of Charolais, but the ill-fated castle was demolished at the end of the sixteenth century. Until now, there have been few sources of information on the tower, but an in-depth analysis of newly discovered archival material has revealed the names of the master builders and suppliers of building materials, as well as the dates of the chief building campaigns. Charles invited the most prominent architects active in the Northern Netherlands, including Jacob van der Borch, master of works at Utrecht Cathedral, Master Claes of Saint John’s in ’s-Hertogenbosch, and Evert Spoorwater, master of works on various important churches in Brabant and Holland. The main designer of the castle, however, was Jean Marchant. His name has fallen in oblivion, but in his own time he was an important master builder; before arriving in Gorinchem, he had been master of works at Palais Rihour, Philip the Good’s residence in Lille. Besides names and dates, archival sources have also allowed the exact reconstruction of the internal layout, thereby spectacularly altering the understanding of its design. Hitherto, the castle’s conspicuous round tower was believed to accord with the thirteenth-century tradition of large donjons. However, this research shows that the tower had an exceptionally large diameter of some 35 metres and a central courtyard around which the main formal rooms were organized on the bel etage. The residential quarters of Charles and his wife Isabella of Bourbon were smaller than the ducal apartments of the Coudenberg Palace and Palais Rihour, but included rooms that clearly reflect their high status. Particularly rare at that time, was the existence of a stove and a room to store spices. The tower’s dimensions, the open courtyard, and the fact that the formal rooms were all on the same level indicate that the building had little in common with the traditional keep typology, but instead resembled the exceptional design of circular castles like Castell de Bellver on Mallorca, and Queenborough Castle and the Windsor Castle keep in England.