Top 20 Castles around Haelen

Kasteel Hillenraad has the appearance of a seventeenth or eighteenth-century building, but its core is older. The castle is first mentioned in archival documents in 1380 and was then owned by the nobleman Dirk van Oost. He came from Oost Castle near Maastricht and was somehow related to the lords of Swalmen. He is mentioned in Swalmen from 1379 and shortly thereafter also bought the ancestral seat of the lords of Swalmen, which is now known as the Ouborg. Since then, Hillenraad has always remained in the family. However, the family sometimes took on a different name through inheritance in the female line. The original building had a round tower at the back. In the seventeenth century, this had to make way for the addition of a large hall. Later, two wings were added to the sides and finally, in the eighteenth century, four towers were added at the corners. After the French period, the castle was no longer inhabited by the family and fell into considerable disrepair. When Count Herman Wolff Metternich (1887-1956) inherited Hillenraad in 1909, he began a major restoration. He saved the castle from ruin. Source and more info: https://www.archiefroermond.nl/nl/roermonds-verleden/verhalen/een-andere-geschiedenis/prachtige-plekjes/kasteel-hillenraad There are information boards near the castle and you can see quite a bit from the outside. The stately avenues in the forest are also connected to the castle, and there is also something to discover there. More about the Hillenrader Bossen at https://www.komoot.com/nl-nl/highlight/7695125

There was a customs tower here around a thousand years ago. Over the centuries it developed into a castle, initially as a residence for the Counts of Kessel. The events of the war caused considerable damage to the facility in 1944. The ruins were only rebuilt in 2011, but not according to the historical model. With classic shapes combined with modern elements, it was expanded into one of the most modern castle complexes in the Netherlands with upscale gastronomy and a small museum on the upper floor.

It's certainly a matter of taste, but in my opinion the bold combination of old ruins and modern architecture is very successful here. The café inside the building looks very inviting. We were there too early in the day to test out the culinary offerings.

In my opinion, the castle has been rebuilt and restored in an interesting way, even if it doesn't suit my taste.

Imposing building, now privately owned

A beautiful old town on the Maas with a modern renovated castle.

Montfort Castle dates back to 1260 and for centuries was one of the largest castles in the Netherlands. It was built by Hendrik van Gelre on a ridge in the water-rich Vlootbeek valley.

Kessel is an old Maas village with a rich history. In 1869 they found a Roman stone of the gods when they demolished an old church. This stone was dedicated to Minerva, Hercules and Juno. The remains of an old villa have also been excavated in Kessel-Eik. A late Roman iron helmet with a Christ monogram was even discovered in Kessel, which can now be seen in the Center Céramique in Maastricht. They also found a large copper kettle in Kessel, now in the Limburgs Museum in Venlo.