For almost 1,000 years
The name Ewsum is first mentioned with certainty in a charter of 1371. But an older charter from 1353 tells of a jonker Ewe whose castle "in den Oert" had been "overthrown" by Groningers, upon which Ewe built a new castle just west.
Take a closer look
The Borg Ewsum
Just outside Middelstum, on an island, lies the last piece of what was once one of the most impressive borgen in the surrounding area. Little is known about the genesis of the borg Ewsum. The name Ewsum is first mentioned with certainty in a charter of 1371. But an older charter from 1353 tells of a squire Ewe whose castle "in den Oert" had been "overthrown" by Groningers, upon which Ewe built a new castle just west. This is said to have happened in 1278. One problem is, the 1353 charter is a forgery. Probably not everything in it was made up, but we can no longer determine exactly what is true and what is not.
The borg Ewsum around 1600.
Yet it does seem ze...
The Borg Ewsum
Just outside Middelstum, on an island, lies the last piece of what was once one of the most impressive borgen in the surrounding area. Little is known about the genesis of the borg Ewsum. The name Ewsum is first mentioned with certainty in a charter of 1371. But an older charter from 1353 tells of a squire Ewe whose castle "in den Oert" had been "overthrown" by Groningers, upon which Ewe built a new castle just west. This is said to have happened in 1278. One problem is, the 1353 charter is a forgery. Probably not everything in it was made up, but we can no longer determine exactly what is true and what is not.
The borg Ewsum around 1600.
Yet it seems pretty certain that Ewsum started out as a simple stone house. A copy of a painting made of Ewsum around 1600 shows part of the old stone house behind the slender stair tower. In the 15th century, the castle received a shield wall built into the water. This wall had chamfered corners. The castle was then about 20 by 25 metres in size. Later, the shield wall was raised which can be seen by the niche-like shape in which apparently a dovecote was set up. The stair tower must have been about 30 metres high and offered a magnificent view of the surroundings. This extension was carried out by Menneke van Ewsum. He bought and demolished stone houses in the area in 1439 and 1442. The stones were used in the extension of the borg Ewsum. This was a frequent occurrence. Numerous stone houses and later monastery buildings served as quarries for other structures.
Knight
Menneke's son Onno van Ewsum is said to have been on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Cyprus, where he was knighted. After his return in 1445, he had the church of Middelstum rebuilt and a year later had a chapel built in Toornwerd. In 1472, the heavy round tower was built at the south-west corner of the castle. From this turret, defenders could fire parallel to the south and east walls during a siege to repel attacks. There may once have been plans to build a similar tower at the northwest corner, but it never came to that. We are now well into the era of gunpowder and cannons. The changes in armament and tactics were so rapid that they simply could not be resisted. When the city of Groningen heard that the gun tower was under construction, they forced Onno van Ewsum to adjust the construction. The lower section was already finished and had a wall thickness of six stones, about 1.80 m. The superstructure was only allowed to be three stones thick by the city authorities. That part was made octagonal. The bottom of the tower had a diameter of 12 metres.
Ewsum after its rebuilding by Johan Lewe (1648) until its demolition (1863).
Ewsum after rebuilding by Johan Lewe (1648) until demolition (1863).
Residential castle
In the 16th century, Ewsum lost its military significance. Johan van Ewsum had the castle thoroughly refurbished. From a fortress, it became a residential castle. In 1561, stained-glass windows were installed and a fireplace with coats of arms and the date 1561. Against the old stone house, a stair tower was crowned by a Baroque onion-shaped spire. The spire was covered with slate.
In 1648, the castle came into the hands of Johan Lewe who took up residence there. He had Ewsum thoroughly rebuilt again. He had the old stone house demolished down to its foundations. The superstructure of the gun tower was removed and the tower was clad with new stones. That is, the wall was covered with a thin layer of new stones. A memorial stone recalls Onno van Ewsum who had the tower built. In front of the borg rose two treasure houses or farms that served to manage the vast estates owned by the Ewsum and later Lewe family.
Expensive living
In the eighteenth century, living on a borg like Ewsum did not get any easier. The cost of maintenance was considerable and when many privileges of the nobility were abolished in the French era, it meant that many borgen were eventually demolished. Ewsum was sold for demolition in 1863. That demolition was done carefully, as efforts were made to keep as much usable material as possible that could be sold.
Remains
What remains today of the once magnificent borg is the substructure of the heavy gun tower containing the gable stone that recalls its construction in 1472. Until lightning destroyed it, a lion bearing the coat of arms of the Ewsums stood on the roof. Now there is an ornate pinnacle bearing the coats of arms of the Ewsum and Lewe families. The weather vane represents knight Onno of Ewsum. There is also still the double moat and the island on which the house once stood, now framed by a stately row of lime trees.
Only the eastern farmhouse, whose barn was built in the Amsterdam school style, still stands. In the facade is the coat of arms of the Ewsum family that once sat in the stair tower. Opposite the farm, where the western treasure house had stood, there is now a herb garden with the rebuilt fruit wall against which grape vines have been planted.
source: verhalenvangroningen.nl
photo: header: DonJon
Photo: Former Borg
Photo: Garden
Photo: Greenhouse