Prattenburg country estate - Rhenen

The country estate consists of 400 hectares of forest, but also a 3.5 hectare heathland. The forests are managed with the aim of developing a diverse and healthy nature area. If you like being in nature, the estate is a wonderful place to take a stroll. Cycling or mountain biking is prohibited on the estate!

At the end of the lanes of tall trees, you will also find Prattenburg Castle. In the Middle Ages, Prattenburg House was a farm, as can be seen on old drawings of the estate. A simple rectangular house was depicted there. In 1694 it finally came into the hands of Jacob van Wijck, Chapter Lord of St. Marie in Utrecht. He left it two years later to his cousin Anthony van Asch van Wijck, then the mayor of Utrecht.

Four important gable stones are incorporated into the facades. Three of them are dates that indicate the three 'life stages' of the house. 1694 stands for the year in which the estate first came into the hands of the Van Wijck family. 1887 is important because the new castle, which is still standing today, was built on the site of the former farm. In 1956, a major post-war rebuilding and modernisation of the castle took place. The fourth gable stone is the coat of arms of the castle owners.

The coat of arms is a combination of those of the Van Asch family and the Van Wijck family. It came to be because Wijnanda van Asch married Jan van Wijck in 1575. In doing so, she fulfilled her brother's wish to continue the family name. Her descendants were subsequently given the name Van Asch Van Wijck. The wheel that was in the Van Asch family crest was incorporated into the Van Wijck crest and the result can be seen here on the facade. The castle and estate are still owned by this family.