The Zoudenbalch family was one of the most prominent families of Utrecht throughout the Middle Ages to the age of the Dutch Revolt. They occupied all posts of importance in the city government, possessed various lordships in the vicinity and played a leading role in the history of the Sticht. The Zoudenbalchs were also Lords of the island of Urk in the Zuiderzee for over a century (1476–1614), and as such played a key role in the life of that community during troubled times in the 16th century.
The fortified city castle of the Zoudenbalch family on the Oudegracht in Utrecht. The castle, currently known as Huis Oudaen after its later occupants, was built in the 13th century.
The gothic palace of the Zoudenbalch family in the Donkerstraat in Utrecht. The palace was built between 1467 and 1468 on the site of the former home of the family.
The gatehouse of the Zoudenbalch palace on the Mariastraat in Utrecht. The gatehouse opened onto a small semi-seigneurial domain within the city, with garden, orchards and a summer house.
The coat of arms of the Zoudenbalch family on a portal in the Springstraat in Utrecht. The portal guards over one of the sites of the orphanage founded by Evert Zoudenbalch in 1497.
Urk is a municipality and a town in the Flevoland province in the central Netherlands.
Current town and former island of Urk
Aerial photograph of the former island Urk, before its integration in the Noordoostpolder, 1920–1940. Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie.
Aerial photograph of the former island Urk, 1920–1940. Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie.
The quay of Urk
