Nijenborgh Castle

Nijenborgh Castle, locally known as Kasteel Nijenborgh or Nijeborgh, lies in the town of Weert, in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

The castle was probably founded in the mid-15th century by Count Jakob I of Horn, who had his ancestral home in Horn Castle.

The complex consisted of a rectangular castle with a bailey. The castle was equipped with two square towers with battlements, of which the north one served as a keep, and two, smaller round towers. The castle was connected to its bailey with a bridge. The bailey was also rectangular with a crenelated wall, a gate, and small circular towers at the corners. The castle was restored several times in the 16th century.

In 1579, Nijenborgh Castle was taken by the Spanish commander Parma. The end of the castle however came around August 1702, during the Spanish Wars of Succession; then the castle was destroyed during a siege by the troops of the Duke of Marlborough; John Churchill. From then on, the castle ruins were to be used as a stone quarry.

In 1841 the mayor of Weert; Louis Beerenbroek, built a mansion on the foundations of the southern square tower. Also, the eastern, round tower was built up. The thickness of the walls of these two towers is 3.5 meters. The other present day remains of the castle are a part of the gate of the bailey, part of the curtain walls and parts of the other two towers.

The mansion still stands and is a private residence, the castle walls now serve as a garden wall. The moat which separated the castle and the bailey has been filled in, but the rest of the moat still remains, although barely. Until 2020 the bailey was home to a lumber merchant. After that business left, the site was turned into a public park.

The private residence and its garden in Nijenborgh Castle are inaccessible, of course, but the new park offers a nice walk around the castle.

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