Buren

Anna van Egmond, Countess of Buren, married William of Orange in 1551, and the county came into the family with her - which is why Count of Buren is still one of the titles of the Dutch monarch and why members of the royal family have used Van Buren as a surname when travelling privately or, in one case, registering at university. The town itself is very small: a few streets inside a rampart circuit with a moat, the Culemborgse Poort, a fifteenth-century church, and a former orphanage of 1613 founded by Maria van Nassau which now holds a museum. There is a marechaussee museum in the old orphanage building too, covering the Dutch military police. A windmill stands on the wall. Buren is walked in an hour and sits in the Betuwe orchard country, which flowers in April.

History

The earliest known settlement here dates from 772, and Buren castle was first mentioned in 1298. Alard IV of Buren granted the town city rights in 1395, which led to the wall and moat that still largely stand, and in 1492 the lordship became a county; the castle later passed to the House of Orange, whose members have used "van Buren" as an alias (Wikipedia, Buren).

What's there

• A royal title - Count of Buren, still held by the Dutch monarch.
• A rampart circuit and moat - round a town of a few streets.
• A 1613 orphanage - founded by Maria van Nassau, now a museum.
• Betuwe orchards around - the fruit country, flowering in April.

When to go

April for the blossom; April to October otherwise. Half a day.

Before you go

It is genuinely tiny - an hour of walking. Museums keep limited hours and close on Mondays. Public transport is by bus only and infrequent at weekends.

Nearby

Tiel is east; Culemborg is west; the Betuwe orchards are all around.

Key facts