Medieval Huis Bergh castle

Hof van Bergh 8 7041 AC ‘s-Heerenberg, s-Heerenberg, Netherlands

Hotel Location

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Huis Bergh Castle is situated in the Netherlands near the German border. Plan your visit to the castle and enjoy the possibilities we offer to the fullest. A visit to the town of ‘s-Heerenberg is a breathtaking experience.

ADDRESS

Huis Bergh Castle has a wealth of stories to tell about its art, its history and its gardens. A lot has happened in the 800 years of Huis Bergh Castle’s existence, so there’s plenty to talk about. You can see Huis Bergh Castle’s rich history, incredible art collection and carefully restored gardens in the castle.

Address: Hof van Bergh 8, 7041 AC ‘s-Heerenberg

P.O. Box: Postbus 155, 7040 AD ‘s-Heerenberg

How to get to Bergh Castle

Car

From Holland: Motorway A 12 Arnhem-Oberhausen, exit 3 direction ‘s-Heerenberg and then follow signs for ‘s-Heerenberg. In ‘s-Heerenberg follow signs for Huis Bergh.
Via Germany: Motorway A 3 Oberhausen-Arnhem, exit 3 direction Emmerich and then follow signs for ‘s-Heerenberg. In ‘s-Heerenberg follow signs for Huis Bergh.

Public transport

The castle has good public transport connections. Take the bus 24 to ‘s-Heerenberg from railway station Doetinchem or the bus 91 to ‘s-Heerenberg from railway station Emmerich.
For more information about public transport,

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Disabled access

Huis Bergh Castle offers disabled access.

There are two disabled parking spaces at the bottom of the castle drive. There is a disabled toilet in the Coach House (opposite the castle) and a wheelchair lift by the steps to enable access to the ground floor of the castle. This gives access to the hall, the throne room, the Italian room, two temporary exhibition halls and the wedding hall. NB: the first floor and the tower can only be accessed via the stairs.

Bicycle Charge Point

Huis Bergh Castle’s inner ward has a bicycle charge point for electric bikes. Stop by Huis Bergh Castle as part of your cycling tour and charge your bike while enjoying an afternoon of culture.

Bus parking area

Huis Bergh Castle is also easily accessible to coaches and buses. There is a bus parking area on the Hofstraat, more or less directly across from the Huis Bergh Castle drive.

Rooms

Round Tower

Guaranteed: $320.00 per room night

Check availability

Luxury accommodation at a Medieval castle tower

Per night for two persons, breakfast included.

Two authentic towers on the outer bailey have been transformed into luxury suites.
The suites are located in the round tower and the ‘flat’ tower. Both suites are spread over two floors. Experience the medieval feel of a tower with its massive walls, niches and spiral staircases. The Middle Ages and the 21st century go hand in hand here: the suites are kitted out with state of the art bathrooms, WiFi internet access and flat screen TV.

Facilities

The bedroom and bathroom are on the first floor. The round shape, wooden floor, small niches and leaded windows create a special atmosphere. The second floor invites comfy lounging on sofa and in arm chairs. This floor also comprises a kitchenette and a dining area. Each tower has its own sun patio with a view of the castle and the 18th century woodland gardens.

Restrictions

The towers accommodate two people. There is no room for extra beds. We regret that access to the towers is not suitable for handicapped people.

Sorry, pets are not allowed.

Flat Tower

Guaranteed: $273.00 per room night

Check availability

Luxury accommodation at a Medieval castle tower

Per night for two persons, breakfast included.

Facilities

Restrictions

The towers accommodate two people. There is no room for extra beds. We regret that access to the towers is not suitable for handicapped people.

Sorry, pets are not allowed.

Activities

BUSINESS MEETINGS AND PRESENTATIONS

Corporate hospitality

Bergh Castle hosts an ever growing number of corporate events. Understandably so, as the castle is a grand venue for receptions, congresses, meetings and presentations. For each occasion we can offer the adequate room.
The formal Habsburg room, the Cavalry room, the medieval castle basement, or the grand hall are at your disposal.

The castle has its own car park, a sound system, microphone and a grand piano.
There is ample overnight accommodation in the vicinity.

WALKING

GROUNDS AND SURROUNDINGS

Bergh Castle is enclosed by an embankment which gives access to the wooded grounds called De Plantage (plantation). These were laid out in the 18th century. In 1379 Willem van den Bergh granted city rights to‘s-Heerenberg. This will have given rise to the building of defensive works, such as the embankment. This embankment used to have an inner and an outer moat.

Visitors are invited to take a stroll in the beautiful historic wooded grounds. Two carefully designed main avenues offer spectacular views: one of Upper Elten’s St. Vitus church, the other of Emmerich’s St. Martin’s Church. The oldest oak trees in the grounds date back as far as 1785. Douglas-firs, Japanese larks and quite a number of rhododendrons are some of the other trees in the grounds. Rare herbaceous plants include wood anemone, wood sorrel, lords-and-ladies and May lily. Blue toadstool, chicken mushroom and hen-of-the-woods are among the mushrooms to be found in the wooded grounds.

HIKING AND CYCLING IN MONTFERLAND

The Achterhoek is the cycling and walking area par excellence! The scenery is often described as a ‘coulisse scenery’: just as on a larger stage, the ‘set’ changes continually. It consists of forests, fields, small villages and now and again a castle.

From several starting points in ‘s-Heerenberg, Stokkum, Beek, Zeddam and Braamt you can start walks and cycle tours way-marked by Natuurmonumenten, a society for the preservation of nature. A detailed map showing these walks is available at the local Tourist Information Centre.
Several long distance footpaths cross Montferland, such as the Pieterpad, the Naoberpad and the Graafschappad.

KAATSBAAN

In 1560 count Willem had a ‘kaatsbaan’ installed at the Vinkenborg. A ‘kaatsbaan’ can be regarded as the predecessor of the present tennis court. A special long building was erected to this aim, as the counts preferred to play indoors rather than outdoors.

The bridge that led to the long building is still there. The building, appropriately called ‘De Kaatsbaan’ was completely renovated in 1943 and now houses a number of apartments.
In other parts of the Vinkenborg ornamental and vegetable gardens were laid out in the 17th century. In the 18th century a maze was added. It was in this century too that ‘De Plantage’, the wooded grounds, were embarked on in the fields behind the Vinkenborg. All these grounds are now part of the estate of the Bergh Castle foundation.

WINDMILL , ZEDDAM

The Bergh Counts

Among the many rights of the Bergh counts was the right to wind and grind. This meant that the counts were entitled to possess a number of mills on their land. The villagers were obliged to have their corn ground in these mills only. In 1904 the Hohenzollern counts sold the Zeddam mill to the miller. In 1929 Jan van Heek bought the mill back and embarked on a series of restorations, thus saving the mill from decline.

Substantial donations from the Prins Bernhard foundation enabled major restoration work on the tower mill in 1974 and in 1990.

Hotel Description

Huis Bergh Medieval Castle

A breathtaking experience

Medieval Bergh castle is surrounded by a moat and half of it is enclosed by an embankment. Its building history goes back as far as the 13th century.

Little is known about the earliest history of Bergh Castle. It is believed that around 1100 AD a wooden tower was raised on a little island in a swamp. Around 1200 AD this wooden tower, or donjon, came to be replaced by a round tower. The remains of this tuff tower can still be seen in the wall left to the present main entrance door to the great hall. In subsequent years the main castle building was enlarged upon.
At the onset of the Eighty Years’ War Bergh Castle was seriously damaged.
In 1735 the main castle building was completely destroyed by fire.
In 1939 the castle was once again struck by fire. Van Heek, who had acquired the castle in 1912, immediately took on restoring the castle.

Inhabitants and owners

Bergh Castle is the ancestral home of the Bergh lords and later counts. One of the best known Bergh counts was Willem van den Bergh, who in 1556 married Maria van Nassau, the sister of William of Orange. The year 1712 marked the end of the Van den Bergh line. Via the female line, the castle and its possessions passed into the hands of the South German aristocratic family Von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.

The Hohenzollerns were never really interested in their Dutch possessions. They sold the majority of the Bergh estate grounds. The castle was eventually rescued when in 1912 Jan Herman van Heek bought it, its rights and its possessions from Prince Wilhelm.

Jan Herman van Heek, an industrialist from Enschede, was deeply fascinated by the Middle Ages. This fascination inspired him both in the way in which he restored the castle and in the art he collected.
In 1946 Van Heek transferred his ownership to the Bergh Castle Foundation, aiming to preserve castle, art collection and surrounding woodlands for posterity.

Nature and culture

Bergh castle is located on the German border in a beautiful area that is ideally suited to hiking and cycling. In nearby Zeddam Bergh Castle’s towermill can be visited. It is the oldest working Dutch windmill.

Art and history

The permanent collection of Bergh Castle includes early Italian painting, Northern European painting, historic portraits, medieval manuscripts, coins and sculptures. The collection was built between 1912 and 1957 by the then owner of the castle Jan Herman van Heek. The beautifully ornate manuscripts and incunables are of great national and international importance.

BUILDING HISTORY

Huis Bergh was inhabited from the 12th century to the 20th century. The various gentlemen and diggers van den Bergh played an important role in the history of the area and some even wrote history on a national level. In the 1980s an important stamp was printed on the Berghse history by Willem IV Count Van den Bergh.

The Antoniuszaal (Anthony Room) houses a substantial part of the collection. It is a very calming and inspiring room. A 15th century rood screen leads to the central part of the room with medieval sculptures, ivories, late medieval paintings and of course the manuscript collection. Each year Bergh Castle organizes a temporary exhibition.

Building history of the castle

Unfortunately, nothing about the earliest history is known. Probably around 1100 on an islet in a swamp a rugged hill was raised on which a wooden living tower was set. Later, possibly around 1200, this wooden living tower is replaced by a round tufstenen tower. Of these, remains can be seen in a wall in the main castle.

Probably around 1300 the first floor of the castle was built because of the need for comfort. The tufstein tower was broken down for this. By that time, the main castle was also enlarged and a new ring wall was built.

Again, the great tower was built. This came to the place where until then the entrance to the main castle was. This passage is still visible in the wall of the tower. Also in the big tower is still a bridge cellar. These changes to the castle have been working for decades.

Originally, the frontier consisted exclusively of high defenses and a reflection. This turn was flanked by three towers. Over time, a number of buildings were placed against the show, intended for various purposes linked to the castle, such as: stables, a forge shop, a brewery and grain farms.

Eighty Years' War

In the eighties War Huis Bergh was severely destroyed. Around 1600, the castle was restored. Then it also got the reputation that it still has. The main building of the castle was raised with one floor. On the north-east side, the castle was expanded, causing the regular eight-sided shape to be lost.

At the front door, the current Rentmeestershuis is astonishing. During that time there were more buildings in the forecourt than today. Between 1680 and 1700 the castle was decorated with the frameworks of access to the main castle and the entrance of the grand hall.

Fire

In 1735 the castle's main castle completely burned. The recovery was taken immediately. There was a circular roof and the windows were replaced by sliding windows for more light output. The castle was not inhabited after the fire but used for multiple purposes. For example, a seminar was held in the castle between 1798 and 1840.

Brewery

Documents show that there were various activities in the frontier in 1843. There was a brewery, a car brake, and a horse stable. A description of 1865 states that there was a large barn and fallen stables below which a house was designed for the steward.

Repair

In 1912, Jan Herman van Heek bought the castle of the frost of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. The castle was in a desolate state and was gradually restored by Van Heek. In 1939 there was a fire in the main castle, which burned out completely. The recovery was immediately taken by Van Heek. He restored the windows of the castle by inserting the old cross windows. Also a small piece of the former ring wall was rebuilt. In 1946 he transferred his ownership to the Bergh Foundation.