Borculo Castle

Borculo Castle was a former castle that was situated next to the town of the same name, in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands.

Borculo Castle was likely built in the 12th century by the Lords of Borculo, who were first mentioned during that time. The settlement of Borculo grew near the castle and was first documented in 1337.

In the 16th century, Borculo was governed by the Counts of Limburg-Bronckhorst. When the last count died in 1553, Christoph Bernhard von Galen, Prince-Bishop of Münster, challenged the ownership. A ruling by the Court of Gelderland in 1615 awarded ownership to the heirs of the last count. This ruling was enforced by troops from Zutphen, who captured the castle after a brief fight in 1616. The castle was then repaired and expanded around 1640.

After Borculo Castle was sold in 1727, it was never inhabited again and had fallen into disrepair by 1743.

In 1777, William V, Prince of Orange, purchased the lordship of Borculo; as a result, the current Dutch King still holds the title 'Lord of Borculo'. Shortly before, between 1760 and 1764, the medieval castle was demolished and replaced with a smaller L-shaped building, which William V turned into a stud farm. This stud farm continued to operate through the French era and beyond until 1852. It was finally demolished in 1870.

Today, the site of the former castle has been partially developed with a library, cultural center, and private residence. The remaining area is grassland. The rectangular site is surrounded on three sides by a ditch that remains from the original moat. Historical depictions show that the castle was rectangular with round corner towers, one of which likely served as a keep.

Currently, no structures of Borculo Castle remain above ground, but some 16th-century vaulted cellars, fragments of outer walls, and foundations of the keep are believed to still exist beneath the private residence and the library.

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