A Surprise Visit to Kasteel Hoensbroek
Esther, my neighbour and now good friend, decided one day to take me on a secret adventure. She told me to meet her the next morning in front of our apartment building at 10am and to bring my train pass.
As all good adventures do, ours began with getting lost.
After getting off the train in Nuth, we caught bus 56 and ended up in the village of Valkenburg. We had taken the right bus but in the wrong direction. We were too caught up in the beautiful views of fields and vineyards outside the bus window to notice that it was taking longer than expected to arrive at our stop.
After getting on the right bus going in the right direction, we arrived at the surprise destination at around 12pm. I kinda knew where we were going because the signs along the road gave it away but I kept it to myself. I was grateful to be a part of something so thoughtful and kind. I didn’t also want to spoil the fun.
Kasteel Hoensbroek is indeed impressive.
After passing through the imposing gatehouse, we stood before the fairy-tale-like castle admiring its wide, serene moat and picturesque setting.
Our first stop was the gift shop where Esther presented our tickets and picked up an English guidebook. It was a Wednesday afternoon and it turned out that we had the castle mostly to ourselves.
Kasteel Hoensbroek is one of the largest and most well-preserved medieval castles in the Netherlands. It stands on what was once an important trade route to Maastricht, Aachen and Cologne and its history dates back to the 13th century, with the earliest mention of a fortified house on the site in 1225.
Originally, it was a simple defensive tower. Then, over the centuries it underwent significant expansions and transformations, reflecting the changing architectural styles and the growing power and wealth of its owners.
The knight Herman Hoen was the first lord of Hoensbroek. It was given to him by the Duchess Johanna of Brabant in the 13th century as a reward for this help in battle. While in the hands of the Hoen Family, the castle underwent its most notable expansion with the addition of wings, courtyards, and ornate interiors. What was once a medieval fortress was now a luxurious residence.
The castle remained the ancestral home of the Van Hoensbroeck family until the end of the 18th century at which point the castle fell into disrepair. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, efforts were made to restore the castle and to preserve its historical significance and architectural beauty. Now it is a museum.
Hoensbroek Castle has many rooms and in each room, Esther read to me its history out loud from the guidebook we got at the gift shop. Being able to experience the architectural evolution of the castle as we moved through it was a definite highlight for me.
About halfway through our self-guided tour, we got hungry so we stopped by the cosy canteen to have some French onion soup and cherry Limburgse vlaai for lunch.
We then spent another couple of hours exploring the castle before heading home but this time we didn’t take the bus. Instead, we walked back to the train station through fields and forests with a quick stop at Aldi where we did some grocery shopping before catching our train home.
That night, Esther made a fantastic fruit salad which she shared and I found myself grateful to have a friend like her in my life.