Castle of Rijkel

The castle of Rijkel, originally a manor farm, was the residential castle of the lords of Rijkel. The first mention of the original manor house dates back to 1541. At the time, the manor of Rijkel was in the possession of the Bolle van Rijkel family. The core of the eastern part was built in the second half of the 16th century. The general appearance came about after expansions during the 17th century. Further renovations and restorations followed in the 18th century. From 1831 onwards, the castle stood empty for more than a century, after which it came into the possession of the non-profit organisation ASBL Les Demeures historiques de Belgique in 1936. He had some much-needed repairs carried out. In 1942 it was declared a protected heritage site and in 1965 the non-profit organisation transferred the castle to the province of Limburg. Due to the high maintenance costs, the castle was sold by auction in 2003 to the current owner Martin Hesemans, who put it up for sale again after a few years of ownership. At the time, Hesemans had acquired the castle by public auction for 1.3 million euros and intended to turn it into a tourist attraction. However, several submitted plans, such as banquet halls, meeting rooms, restaurant and brasserie, were rejected, after which he decided to put the property up for sale.

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