Hernen Castle, Hernen, Netherlands

The origins of Hernen lie to the west of the present castle, next to the river Elst. That is where the first motte castle of Hernen was sited, and remained in use until the 12th/13th century. This was possibly also the fortress of the Lords of Hernen, who first appear in the records in 1247. The lord received income through taxes and special privileges, such as the milling rights. This income enabled him to extend his castle, which in turn increased his status.

Around that time, Hernen was partly in Cleves and partly in Gelderland. In the 14th century, work started on the construction of the present castle, which was sited on the Gelderland part. Later, everything came again under one estate. The east wing and the monumental entry gate date from 1555. A special feature is the covered patrol path - quite rare in the Netherlands.

The castle never suffered war damage or natural disasters. In the last century, the lord of the castle hardly ever lived there, leaving the administration to a steward. There was no urge to embellish the castle according to the latest fashion in architecture, and consequently the castle was able to keep its austere, medieval character.

References:

Exciting History

User Reviews

Mireille Riesenbeck (2 years ago)
Castle in authentic form, has never been modernized. Lovely tour through the castle with talking lanterns. The diorama which tells the history of the castle is quite spectacular. My favorite castle by far!

J V A (2 years ago)
Castle build in 1555, definitely worth a visit if your in the area. Not always open to the public. Check the opening days and times before you go. There is also a nice garden and walking track next to the castle.

Lia Del Rosario (3 years ago)
There is a garden beside the castle in where you can see a person greeting you just to charge you stating it's a private garden when you are heading out; other than that, it's a beautiful experience.

Sofi Samsura (4 years ago)
Surprisingly very interesting castle. They have a very interactive way to get the children interested on the history of the castle. They have a talking lantern as a guide that can explains to you the history of every room in the castle.

Nancy Underwood (5 years ago)
Didn't go inside, but the castle was nice to see and walk around.

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