Gezicht op Kasteel Sterkenburg te Wamel 1905

This photograph of Sterkenburg Castle in Wamel, Netherlands, was produced by an anonymous photographer for Monumentenzorg, or ‘Monuments Care’. As an institution, Monumentenzorg emerged in the late 19th century out of a growing concern for preserving the Netherlands’ architectural heritage. The image of Sterkenburg Castle fits into a broader cultural trend that viewed buildings as important historical documents. By the late 1800s, photography was increasingly being used as a tool for cataloging and preserving cultural heritage. The clean lines and simple composition reflect the influence of documentary photography. This photograph’s purpose was to record and document Sterkenburg Castle. As such, it participates in a broader movement to classify buildings and sites of national significance. Images like this helped to solidify a shared sense of Dutch identity rooted in specific places and monuments. Historians can consult archives, architectural records, and institutional documents to trace the history of this image, placing it within the social and political contexts of heritage preservation in the Netherlands.