Monday 26 January 2009

that's My World, Bergh Castle











In August 2007 I stayed with a relative of mine who lives in the middle of the Netherlands. Not far from her place is this castle and as I am fond of old buildings and its history, my relative couldn't do me a greater favour than to take me here.

This medieval castle is surrounded by a moat. Its building goes back as far as the 13th century. The most important still existing parts date from the 14th, 15th, and 17th centuries.In the course of time additions,embellishments, fires and wars left their marks on the appearance of the castle. Gradually it changed from a medieval stronghold into a fine mansion.
Bergh castle used to be the ancestral home of the lords and later counts Van den Bergh, who played a leading role in the Eighty Years'War( 1568-1648), when the Prince of Orange liberated us from King Philip II of Spain. However the count of Van den Bergh shifted his support from the Prince of Orange to the Spanish king.
In the 18th century the castle passed into the hands of the south German aristocratic family Von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. In 1912 Bergh Castle was acquired by Mr.J.H.Heek PhD, an industrialist, who restored the castle and collected the art which is now to be seen in the building.
There is a restaurant where we had a cup of coffee and a delicious lunch. The weather was nice and warm so we were sitting outside.

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20 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey Wil,
I too love history.
Cheers !

penny said...

What a beautiful place to visit. I would love to see it. Thank you for sharing;) I enjoy reading your blog and viewing your wonderful pictures. be happy ;) Pam

sribbler said...

thanks for your information about the historical place

Arija said...

A great post Wil!
Castles, if they survive that long, do go through a lot of transformations. So nice to see that someone with the necessary resources and feeling for history has aquired it and restored and furnished it appropriately.

The Weaver of Grass said...

What a lovely place reader wil, thank you for sharing it with us.

George said...

I enjoy visiting historic sites and learning more about them. Thanks for the view and information about Bergh Castle.

Anonymous said...

I have always been fascinated by castles and used to relish seeing B-movies about them and that gate crashing down to keep people out as they tried to cross the moat and attack the castle. This looks like it was once an important castle and must have taken masons many years to build it.

Jeannette StG said...

Delightful to see this castle - it looke in good (preserved) condition! thanks for sharing it!

EG CameraGirl said...

Thank you for taking such wonderful photos of the castle so we could see it too, Wil. I'd love to see it in person.

??? said...

What a lovely building and the gardens look beautiful

Patty said...

You have such interesting things you have seen and places you have traveled to. Thanks for sharing.

imac said...

Great slide show.

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

great post I always learn form your historical words,eventhough its in my own countrie, welldone happy My world!

JoAnn/Holland

soulbrush said...

i love old castles. of course i see lots of old things in england, including MY FACE IN THE MIRROR IN THE MORNINGS!

SandyCarlson said...

Thanks for taking us for a visit. What a place.

Indrani said...

Lovely post on this historic castle! And I am so glad efforts are on to preserve this monument.

Unknown said...

What a stunningly beautful place!

bass said...

Wow, these are nice images. I'm always amused what you offer to us. Thanks for sharing Wil.

Smart Mouth Broad said...

I also love old buildings. I love to study the architecture and learn about the history. Thanks for sharing.

Barbara Martin said...

Beautiful old castle. Its interesting to see them still around today, and thank you for the history behind it, Wil.