Breda Castle Kasteel van Breda

At the north end of the Kasteelplein is Breda Castle (Kasteel van Breda), which first appears in the records in the 12th century. In the 14th century Jan I of Polanen built a new castle, with four corner towers, and a chapel, both of which were several times pulled down and rebuilt. The present castle, the ancestral home of the Counts of Orange-Nassau, was built in 1530 by Count Henry III, tutor and counselor to the Emperor Charles V, and later extended by King (and Stadholder) William III. Henry commissioned Tommaso Vincitore of Bologna to convert the old fortified castle into a handsome modern palace, and while the palace was under construction he lived in an old water-mill which then stood on the site.

One of Prince William I's sons was the first member of the family to live in the palace. Later, when the palace became the Royal Military Academy, an additional story was added (1826-28).

Also dating from the time of Count Henry III are the two towers of the Spanjaardsgat and the Blockhuis, the official residence of the commandant of the Military Academy, which was occupied for a time by Prince William I.

The grounds of the palace are entered by the Stadhouderspoort. The coat of arms of Stadholder William V is a later addition.