Stadskasteel / Huis Soudenbalch, in the Donkerstraat. Gothic palace built by Dom Canon Evert Zoudenbalch, Lord of Urk and Emmeloord, in 1467−68 on a site which had long been linked to the Soudenbalchs. The beautiful gothic facade was probably designed by the Dommeester, who fell under Evert in his capacity as Procurator (fabrieksmeester) of the Dom. The mansion was a seigneurial domain within the city with a courtyard and a summer house. The family lived in the palace for a number of generations, and between 1600 and 1605 it even functioned as a secret Roman Catholic church under Zoudenbalch patronage. Behind the palace was a large garden which extended to the Mariastraat. The alleyway connecting the palace to the Buurkerk - originally the Soudenbalchstraat- was created by Evert ca. 1459.