Ruurlo Castle, Ruurlo, Netherlands

The history of Ruurlo Castle is inextricable from the history of the noble Van Heeckeren family, who managed the castle and the estate from the beginning of the 15th century through to 1977. Since 2012, and thanks to the dedication of local patronHans Melchers, this impressive castle has been given a new lease of life as a museum.

Ruurlo Castle is of a venerable age, appearing in archives from as early as the 14th century when it was a fief of Count Reinoud I of Guelders. In the 15th century, it passed into the hands of Jacob van Heeckeren, the founder of the noble and distinguished knightly family of Van Heeckeren. One of them, William van Heeckeren van Kell (1814-1914), was director of the King’s Cabinet and Minister of Foreign Affairs. The castle stayed in the family for more than five centuries.

During the Second World War, the Germans requisitioned the castle for use as the headquarters of the German General Staff. After the liberation, it was occupied for another few months by Canadian military personnel. In 1977, the castle passed into the hands of the municipality of Ruurlo, which used it as itstown hall. When the local authorities merged in 2005, the municipality moved out of the building. In 2012, the castle was sold to Hans Melchers for €1 million and found a new useas a museum for paintings by Carel Willink, a master of magical realism. The paintings are from the art collection of the bankrupt owner of DSB Bank, Dirk Scheringa.

A large part of the present castle dates from the 16th and 17th centuries. It is surrounded by a magnificent estate with a number of exceptional features. The Orangery from 1879 was badly damaged during the war and subsequently demolished, but it was rebuilt in 2002 and is now a popular wedding location. The estate is also home to a famous maze, which was declared the world’s largest by the Guinness Book of Records in 1996. The maze was created by Lady Sophie van Heeckeren in 1890.

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Exciting History

User Reviews

Steven vd Staak (5 months ago)
Nice castle and public gardens. Shame of all the glass and modern architecture. Destroys the dream a bit.

Andrii Prokopets (7 months ago)
Castle was restored at 2017 and now hosts part of art collection devoted to realism from More museum. The collection is small but nice. Reserve up to 1 hour for the museum. The interiors of the castle are nicely renovated with the wood paneling and tapestry. The pattern of hardwood floors repeats the pattern on the ceiling. The parking is free, but the place is popular, so parking is full on the weekends. The restaurant in the Orangery is nice and staff is very helpful.

sudhirbang (12 months ago)
Nice vibes Well maintained Maybe slightly expensive entry fare for visitors at Euro14/- which could be reduced considerably if a family or group is visiting.

Guy den Blanken (3 years ago)
Great little castle where art of the notorious artist Karel Willink is displayed on multiple floors. The castle, and it's grounds, are truly beautiful. Lush green fields complimented by trees and bushes all well maintained, cutting off most outside prying eyes. If you're up for a drink there's a nice little cafe situated near the entrance. The art on display in the castle is interesting in that Willink is not as well known as other Dutch masters, but stil very high quality. Although one should separate the art from the artist, I would not recommend reading up in this artist, but that's my opinion. My only complaint, and the reason for giving 4/5 stars, is that the attitude towards people with disabilities is not to my liking. After having taken the elevator, because the person I was with could not walk any stairs (worn out knees and ankles), we got a lecture on how we circumvented the covid security measure; and how we used the elevator without being chaperoned by an employee. This despite the reception having told us to do so alone. And on the second floor we got the same lecture, and the same disregard for a disability, which I just found a tad inappropriate. All in all a great little castle that's definitely worth visiting! Especially on a nice summer's day.

Ricardo Munsel (4 years ago)
We would have loved it even more if we would have been able to view other old parts of the castle. The museum gives a nice impression of some of the rooms. The exhibition of Dutch painter Carel Willink and some of the creations of Dutch fashion designer Fong Leng give a nice chance to also get to know some of the castle.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Bela Lindtner

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