Château Neercanne, Maastricht, Netherlands

Château Neercanne (also known as Agimont) was built on a site that was already in use by the Romans. The caves, created by mining blocks to build the fortifications, still exist. They are now in use as the wine cellar of Neercanne. In 1465 the castle was destroyed by the people of Liège during the Liège Wars. The outbuildings and the prominent corner tower were built in 1611, in the style of the Mosan Renaissance. The main building was built in 1698 by Daniël Wolf van Dopff, lord of Neercanne, at that time the military governor of Maastricht. All present buildings are built from marl. In the valley in front of the castle flows the river Jeker and is a baroque garden, reconstructed to the original design. Today It is a fine dining restaurant that is awarded one or two Michelin stars in the periods 1957-1982 and 1986–present.

References:

Wikipedia

Castles and fortifications in Netherlands

User Reviews

Idris (3 years ago)
A great place to work outings and if you love to explore how a real castle looks like, then this is the place to be. Clean and service is top notch. Warm atmosphere as well.

gökhan adıgüzel (3 years ago)
Good location, good atmosphere with a great nature. Must see to enjoy, also cycle or walk to the belgium border which will offer very nice cafes on the way

Abu Baker Siddique (3 years ago)
One of the best resturant in Maastricht. Great food and ambience

Marwan ElGhamrawy (3 years ago)
The view is great. The main course was not good. On the other hand, the starters and dessert was good.

marco pagliacci (3 years ago)
I've visited several 1 to 3 star Michelin restaurants and they are in the podium. Excellent quality, great care for the costumers, beautiful location and tasty proposals. Just one note: I'd never propose a white wine for sweetbread... But may be it's my personal view . Recommended, will be there again and again :)

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Giåm

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Glimmingehus

Glimmingehus is the best preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. It was built 1499-1506, during an era when Scania formed a vital part of Denmark, and contains many defensive arrangements of the era, such as parapets, false doors and dead-end corridors, 'murder-holes' for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other forms of death traps to surprise trespassers and protect the nobles against peasant uprisings. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 2.4 meters (94 inches) thick and the upper part 1.8 meters (71 inches).

Construction was started in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand and stone-cutter-mason and architect Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1506.

Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

On site there is a museum, medieval kitchen, shop and restaurant and coffee house. During summer time there are several guided tours daily. In local folklore, the castle is described as haunted by multiple ghosts and the tradition of storytelling inspired by the castle is continued in the summer events at the castle called "Strange stories and terrifying tales".

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