Swanenburg Castle was preceded by an indefensible house. It was not until 1462 that a defensible castle was built. This was probably done by a Reynald van Aeswijn. Between 1462 and 1580 a bailey was built. This bailey consisted of a ringwall with a covered wall walk and with a square gatetower and two round corner towers.

In the 18th century a renovation followed which led to some great changes in the castle's appearance; the step-gables disappeared and the outer walls were realigned to give the castle a more symmetric shape.

In the 19th century another renovation followed which also drastically changed the castle's appearance; the small castle windows were replaced by large Empire style windows, the ringwall and the gate tower were torn down and the moat was filled in. In the last part of the 19th century the castle housed some nuns who left the castle in 1888.

In 1900 the castle was put up for sale with the stipulation that the buyer had to tear down the castle before May 1901. This happened only leaving some parts of the bailey standing.

The ruin we see today however is a sad remnant of the left round corner tower of the bailey. This tower has deteriorated very much in the last century. For in 1937 it was still reported to have been standing in good condition while the remnants of the right corner tower were also still standing up to a height of 2 meters. During WW II the remnants of the right corner tower were torn down to be used for a chicken shed and the left corner tower lost its roof as a result of shelling. The remaining part of the left corner tower was then neglected and crumbled away to its present appearance.

The ruin is now inhabited by a herd of grazing cows who were very curious when I visited.

Location and contact information

In a field, some 500 meters east of the cross section of the Zwanenburgseweg and the Koksallee between Gendringen and Megchelen.
Not accessible.

Swanenburg Castle Links

• De Graafschap in de Middeleeuwen
• Kastelen in Gelderland
• Absolute Facts

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