Pay a visit to Hoensbroek Castle!

During the May vacations I visited South Limburg with my family. Did I do a lot there? Yes! Is there more to do? Yes indeed! So we will definitely go back to this nice part of the Netherlands. The nice thing about South Limburg is that it is close to Belgium and Germany. You just drive across the border! And South Limburg is not Dutch, so you really feel like being abroad on vacation. Besides, I love castles and history (yes, and ghost stories) so I could really indulge myself there! Among other things, we visited Castle Hoensbroek in Hoensbroek.

Castle Hoensbroek

The oldest part of Kasteel Hoensbroek, the stercke huysinghe, dates back to 1375. Thereafter, additional buildings were added in several phases (5 in total) until the 18th century. Even in the castle itself, the differences are easy to see. There is a medieval dungeon, but also a fancy ballroom from the time of the Blue Lady, but I will come back to that in a moment. The castle is very accessible, although the tower is not suitable for those with walking difficulties. The castle, on the other hand, is a great place for children. They didn’t win the national Kidsproof award in 2023 for nothing. So there is often something organized such as knight tournaments, markets and other events.

Explore for yourself

What I really liked about Kasteel Hoensbroek was that we were allowed to explore by ourselves. No time slots, no guide, just a nice tour of the castle with a map. Ideal! That way you can explore the whole castle at your own pace. When we were there, it was a rainy day. So we were expecting top crowds, but it wasn’t too bad. With our Museumjaarkaart we could visit the castle for free. By the way, such a Museumjaarkaart is ideal. You enter a museum or other building where the card is valid much faster and are sometimes pleasantly surprised! And is it disappointing? No problem, because you always have a clean toilet nearby ;-).

The old tower

As I mentioned earlier, the old tower is not for everyone to visit. It is quite cramped and the stairs are quite tough to climb. But it is really worth visiting it! There you will find a prison, various weapons, armor and much more. Especially the stairs to the attic are exciting (watch your head!) but also very cool to see once. That wooden construction is really great to see! You can see the wooden construction in the leftmost photo and on the right photo you can see the prison with the piece of wood that people were chained to.

Different rooms

During your visit, you will enter different rooms. From the maids to the sleeping quarters of the nobles who lived there. One room I found very special was the dining room. Apparently in those days it was quite normal to eat yourself so sick during dinner that you had to throw up. They had made a special “vomit hole” in the floor for that. That came out outside the castle. Then you had room again for even more food. Apparently that was normal back then. Blergh.

The Blue Lady

If you’ve been following us for any length of time, you know that – especially me – I’m not averse to a ghost story. Castle Hoensbroek has its own ghost! And they’re proud of it, too, because they named the restaurant after her. The ghost in question is the Blue Lady. The Blue Lady’s real name was Anna Catharina, Reich Countess of Schönborn. She married Marquis Frans Arnold van Hoensbroek in 1720 and together they had 24 children. She must have been pregnant pretty much non-stop. Of these 24, only 6 grew up. In those days, hygiene was not in the best shape. Two of her children who died at birth were bricked into the castle walls according to good 18th century custom. Anna Catherine died on November 5, 1760, and it is said that she returned to the castle every November 5th to look for her bricked-in children. By the way, the Blue Lady is in the portrait in the photo. She follows you everywhere with her eyes….

Definitely recommended

If you’re in South Limburg, a visit to Castle Hoensbroek is highly recommended. It is fun (especially for children!), educational and also one of the most beautifully preserved castles in the Netherlands. In the basement, by the way, there are all kinds of fun medieval games for the kids to do. You also get a handy booklet with information about the castle during your visit. And the restaurant is a great place to recover from all your impressions!

Photos: OpstapmetLisa (Sonja Koene)