The castle was originally built to protect the north-south route in
Hollandic territory. Later it became a
forester's castle of the
counts of Holland, starting with
William IV, count of Holland. One of the best known inhabitants of the castle was
Jacoba of Bavaria, who died there. At the time of her death she was married to her fourth husband,
Frank van Borssele. The drinking cups dug up in the surrounding area are called
Jacobakanntjes. The castle was heavily damaged around 1570 during the
Eighty Years' War, and partially restored thereafter. The
donjon was partially burnt in 1675, after which decay set in. Other parts were gradually demolished. The lands (and the ruins) became possessions of the province of Holland, and were nationalised in 1795. The grounds were later sold under the condition that the ruins would not be demolished. This made the ruins one of the first examples of the Dutch National Heritage (). In 1889, the ruins were donated to the Dutch state by Jhr. Mr. W. van Teylingen. They are still owned by the state, and fall under the jurisdiction of the state's building service, . At the end of the 20th century, the ruins were partially restored, and the partially filled in moat was also restored to its original state. The restoration was made possible by the purchase of grounds by the Foundation Slot Teylingen (with support of the
Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds), which then donated the acquired grounds back to the Dutch state. On 24 June 2023, the Teylingen Castle received the
HKV-schildje ("shield") from the
Historische Kring Voorhout (The Historical Circle of Voorhout) as a sign of appreciation for the hard work of all the volunteers and professionals in preserving the Teylingen Castle. == Castle charactertistics ==