Schaesberg Castle

Schaesberg Castle, locally known as Slot Schaesberg, lies northwest of the town of Schaesberg, in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

The moated remains of Schaesberg Castle consist of walls of a corner tower and the adjacent residential building and collapsed cellars.

The oldest foundations of the castle probably date back to 1411 when a castle at this site was built by Willem II van Reetersbeek. On these foundations Johan van Schaesberg built a renaissance castle in 1571. It's the remains of this castle that we see today. This castle was moated and consisted of two brick residential wings and a keep.

In 1650 the castle was extended under Johan Frederik van Schaesberg; two new residential wings and a square tower were added and the castle became square centered around a courtyard. Also a large bailey was built.

From 1733 the main castle building wasn't permanently inhabited any more and the castle fell into decay as a result of poor maintenance. By 1926 the castle was a ruin in contrary to the farm on the bailey which still was in good shape. During and after WWII the bailey however the bailey also fell into decay together with the castle. The castle also suffered as a result of mining activities in the area.

In 1965 part of the castle collapsed followed by a fire. After this several walls were torn down to prevent further collapse. The bailey was demolished after a demolition permit was issued in 1968. In 1977 the remaining ruins were consolidated.

At present the ruins of Schaesberg Castle are being made ready to undergo a full size rebuilding. The site can be visited for a small fee. I like the ruin as it is, so I am very curious how the new castle will turn out.

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