Station: [10] Planning and building a castle

“The responsibility for a new castle is of course in the hands of the landlord. He decides to build and also has to foot the bill. But of course he cannot see to everything personally – which is why he relies on his building master, especially for important matters, whom he trusts implicitly. In this case, it was Master Arnt Johannsen whom Rutger trusted with this task for 14 years. Master Arnt makes the initial sketches, enters into contracts with the craftsmen in the landlord’s name, checks deliveries of construction material and supervises the whole building site. Are the craftsmen doing their work conscientiously? Do they keep to deadlines?

As for the castle plans, landlord and building master may indeed have their own ideas, but they mostly resort to relevant literature on the matter. Contemporary architectural treatises or practical templates for the construction of columns are a fixture in a building master’s quarters. For some of the work, such as for selected carvings, Rutger von der Horst even chooses concrete templates to pass on to his craftsmen. This is how the castle was planned – and how it is built. The model in this room is intended to give you an impression of the construction site – and you will get to know some of the craftsmen working here better, so step closer.”