Bergh Castle

Dutch castle in the small town of 's-Heerenberg

The castle of Bergh is situated against the centre of the small town of 's-Heerenberg. in the province of Gelderland. At the end of the castle gardens there is the boundary with Germany.

Castle of Bergh dates back to about 1100

The first castle of Bergh dates back to about 1100. The square keep (14th c.) is the succcessor of a round keep but the first was probably a wooden tower, surrounded by a wooden fence within the ditches. Bergh is a so called motte and baily castle, i.e. the motte (the hill) on which the keep has been built is formed by the earth out of the ditches.

Embankments

The castle can be seen from all sides during a walk over the embankments, which form the first defences of the medieval castle. The embankments surround the ditches, the baily and the keep with all its buildings. Near today's entrance the former mint building is resurrected in which the Earls of Bergh had their own mintage in former days.

William IV of Bergh

One of the owners of the castle was William IV of Bergh. He was the brother-in-law of William the Silent, the first leader in the Rebellion against the Spanish kings in the 17th century. William of Bergh chose ultimately the side of the Spaniards and lost the castle. In the middle of the 17e century the castle came in the possession of the German nobles of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. They never lived in the castle and so the castle fell into disrepair.

Splendid medieval state

In 1912 a rich textile manufacturer, a Mr. Van Heek, bought the castle and restored the buildings, but a fire brought a lot of damage to the buildings in 1939. After the world war Van Heek began with new restorations. The result is that the castle is now brought back again in a splendid medieval state. Van Heek bought many medieval works of art (books, coins) with which he embellished the castle.

Open to the public

The castle is open to the public. It is one of the most interesting medieval castles of the Netherlands.

More information

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