Rensselaerswyck was a 17th-century Dutch colonial landholding in what is now Albany, New York. Established in 1629 by the Dutch West India Company, it was named after its first patroon, Kiliaen van Rensselaer. The area served as a significant agricultural and trading center, contributing to the early economy of the region. The patroonship system allowed wealthy individuals to own large tracts of land and attract settlers. Rensselaerswyck included several communities, such as Albany and Troy, and played a crucial role in the development of Dutch culture and governance in North America before the English takeover in the late 1660s.