Kasteel Hoensbroek

Hoensbroek is one of the largest castles in the region between the Meuse and the Rhine, built in stages from the fourteenth century when the Hoen family put up a round keep on marshy ground, extended in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries into a moated complex of four wings around a courtyard, with towers and gatehouses, and now holding at least sixty-seven halls and rooms. It declined badly, and in 1927 the family sold it to a foundation that restored it, which is why it survives at all - the industrial district around it was expanding fast on coal at the time and the castle was in poor condition. It is now a museum with furnished rooms, an armoury, cellars and a route through the towers, and it is one of the more visited castles in the south, with a strong line in family activities and costume events.

What you'll find

• A fourteenth-century round keep - the oldest part, on the marshy original site.
• Four wings around a courtyard - the complex built up through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
• At least sixty-seven halls and rooms - furnished routes, armoury and cellars.
• A 1927 rescue - sold by the family to a foundation and restored while the coal district expanded around it.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Practical notes

It is heavily family-oriented with costume events and activities, which some visitors find intrusive. Restoration in the 1930s reconstructed a good deal. Busy in school holidays. Closed some winter days.

Nearby

Heerlen and Brunssummerheide are close; Maastricht is south-west.

Key facts