Elsloo Castle

Elsloo Castle, locally known as Kasteel Elsloo, lies in the village of the same name, in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

The present castle was preceded by an early medieval castle which was situated more to the west, in a bend in the Meuse river. During the 15th century this castle was partly washed away by the river changing its course. This left the castle still habitable but not defensible anymore. In 1579, during the Siege of Maastricht, Spanish troops set fire to the remaining parts of the castle. It was destroyed and in the early 17th century its ruins were washed away by the river. Supposedly its foundations are visible in the river bed during extreme low tides.

Between 1613 and 1648 a new castle was built higher up the hill, some 600 m to the east. At that time Elsloo Castle was owned by the Van Arberg family. In 1818 they sold it to the Counts de Geloes. Several fires later that century completely destroyed the castle. What remained is what we see today; a large rectangular outbuilding which used to house a brewery and a water mill. The round tower at the head of the building is either a remnant of the 17th century castle or was added in the late 19th century.

At present Elsloo Castle is a hotel-restaurant and can of course be visited as guest. A nice ensemble of buildings but not a real castle.

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