Top 20 Castles around Ambt Montfort

Good starting point with plenty of parking

Medieval town with ramparts and keep

Wassenberg was first mentioned in a document in the “Klosterrather Annals” (Annales Rodenses). Klosterrath is today's Rolduc near Herzogenrath. In 1020, Emperor Henry II (1002 - 1024) gave the Flemish nobleman Gerhard von Antoing rich land holdings in Wassenberg in return for services rendered. After the expansion of the motte (original castle), his descendants called themselves “Count of Wassenberg”. Count Gerhard III of Wassenberg and Geldern is also considered the founder of the Wassenberg St. George's Abbey and the builder of the St. George's Provost Church. The founding document from September 30, 1118 is still preserved in an older copy. The abbey and church helped determine the fate of the town for centuries.

During the Eighty Years' War, the original village of Stevensweert was expanded into a fortified town by the Spanish in 1633. An earthen wall with seven bastions and five ravelins was built. Part of Stevensweert is under town protection. The fortifications can still be seen in the city's unique street pattern. Be sure to take a look at the Stevensweert-Ohé en laak regional museum. In 2007, the reconstruction of a small part of the fortifications began based on historical maps of a bastion, a rave line and the associated north side of Stevensweert.

Today's Stevensweert arose in the early Middle Ages on an island in the Meuse, with the eastern branch being the Old Meuse. This domain initially belonged to the County of Loon and since 1243 to the Oberg. From 1253 it belonged to the Ambt Montfort. In 1543 Obergelre came to the Habsburg Monarchy and thus became Spanish Obergelr. The late Gothic sculptor Jan van Steffeswert was probably born here at the end of the 15th century. The original village was converted into a fortress town in 1633 by the Spanish general Francisco de Moncada. An earthen wall with seven bastions and five rave lines was built around the place. In 1702, Stevensweert was besieged by the states, causing severe damage to the castle and the fortress becoming state property. From 1716 Stevensweert finally came into state hands and belonged to Staatsober-Gelre. Stevensweert has retained its heptagonal perimeter and geometric street pattern to this day. The original fortification wall was destroyed in 1874. In 1882 the island bridge was built over the Oude Maas, connecting the island to the mainland. In 1922 the Roermond - Sittard tram line was completed and Stevensweert received a tram stop. Five trams ran in both directions every day and a journey to Roermond station took 24 minutes. In 1937 the tram line was broken up and bus services took over passenger transport. With the construction of the Juliana Canal (1925-1934), Stevensweert was again on an elongated island, which was only connected to the shore by a few bridges and therefore always still had a more or less isolated situation. After the Second World War, gravel extraction was added, which created a number of puddles. In 2007, the reconstruction of a small part of the fortifications began based on historical maps of a bastion, a rave line and the associated north side of Stevensweert.

Great building on a very nice market square 👍

The fortified town of Stevensweert has everything to be counted among the most beautiful villages in Limburg: history, beauty, atmosphere and located in a beautiful part of the Netherlands. The biggest attraction of Stevensweert is the village center itself. This is one of the most picturesque villages you will find in Limburg. Specific buildings worth mentioning are the former town hall, which now houses the Streekmuseum Stevensweert/Ohé en Laak, the eighteenth-century St. Stephen's Church and the striking former Reformed Church. This monumental building now serves as a wedding location and a place where events are organized, such as concerts.

The Wassenberg town hall is a reconstruction of the town hall from 1902, which was severely damaged in the war, and whose forms are based on the previous building from 1753. The town hall follows the old tradition of the Wassenberg town hall, but in the redesign of the post-war period it occupies the space of the former town hall and two adjoining houses and is thus closed as a four-winged complex around an inner courtyard, which has a gallery on the first floor.