posted 01-25-2003 06:00 AM
hi PeterThe castle of Breda was the foremost castle and the main residence of the Nassau-Orange family in the Netherlands (and now our royal family) untill they became stadhouders (~ something like lord protector) of the republic, in this time the castle was of one their summer and hunting residences. Later, about 1820, the castle became the royal military academy, which it still is. The castle is of one the most beautiful renaissance buildings of the Netherlands.
You can find pics from the castle on:
http://www.kma.mindef.nl/kma/over_de_kma/virtuele_rondleiding/content/kasteel.html (on the page of the virtual guide of the academy)
http://stadsarchief.breda.nl/actueel/Breda_750/Februari/01/01.htm (picture of the castle mid 18th century)
http://www.muziekinstituut.nl/sacramentskoor/images/breda/kasteel.jpg
http://home.residentie.net/~schram-12/bd15.jpg (part of the entrance buildings)
http://home.residentie.net/~schram-12/breng.htm (a history in english of breda)
http://stadsarchief.breda.nl/actueel/Breda_750/Februari/03/PU3.htm (a plan of the city of breda with middle above the castle (in dutch stands there casteel)
http://stadsarchief.breda.nl/actueel/Breda_750/Februari/07/PU07.htm (picture of 1685 on which you can see parts of the medieval castle (now disappeared)
http://stadsarchief.breda.nl/actueel/Breda_750/Februari/07/PU07_B.htm
http://stadsarchief.breda.nl/actueel/Breda_750/Februari/07/PU07_C.htm
http://stadsarchief.breda.nl/actueel/Breda_750/Februari/09/PU09_1.htm (the castle in 1806)
http://stadsarchief.breda.nl/actueel/Breda_750/Februari/09/PU09_2.htm
http://stadsarchief.breda.nl/actueel/Breda_750/Februari/09/PU09_3.htm
http://stadsarchief.breda.nl/actueel/Breda_750/Februari/11/PU11.htm staircase now dissapeared
http://stadsarchief.breda.nl/actueel/Breda_750/Februari/12/PU12.htm teh court of the castle in 1928
and ofcourse on the last moment i find out that these pages also exist in english:
http://stadsarchief.breda.nl/actueel/Breda_750/Februari/februari_E.htm
http://home.wanadoo.nl/korving/geschiedenis/kma.html
http://archimon.tripod.com/noord-brabant/breda.html