Castle Montfort

Enjoying a castle and its landscape
Castle Montfort dates back to 1260 and was for centuries one of the largest castles in the Netherlands. An impressive castle ruin reminds us of this, from which two corner towers and several large cellar spaces have been restored in recent years. A visitor center has been set up here about the interesting history of this castle, its inhabitants, and the surrounding landscape.
As a visitor, let yourself be surprised by the fascinating past of this region. Descend into the atmospheric eastern cellars from the fourteenth century, get spooked in the prison cellar in the White Tower. Enjoy the view from castle towers or the castle terrace and discover on foot from Castle Montfort the beautiful domain estates Rozendaal, Schrevenhof, and Reigersbroek. A visit to Castle Montfort can also be excellently combined with a walk through the castle garden, which has been newly designed in a classical style.

750 years in a nutshell
Castle Montfort was built around 1260 by Hendrik van Gelre, prince-bishop of Liège and the first lord of Montfort. After his violent death in 1285, the lordship of Montfort became part of the county, later duchy, of Gelre. Under Duke Reinoud II of Gelre (1326-1343), the importance of this castle grew. This placed higher demands on the residential function, leading to a comprehensive renovation in 1342-1343.
Until the end of the fifteenth century, Montfort still regularly served as a residence for the landholder. Furthermore, the drossaard lived here, who, with twenty-seven staff members, took care of the defense and administration of the Montfort precinct, an administrative district of the Overkwartier of Gelre.

Due to the rise of artillery, Castle Montfort was expanded with fortifications in 1535-1536. It continued to play a military role until after the Eighty Years' War. In 1685-1686, the fortifications were demolished and the moats filled in. The remaining buildings remained the official residence for the drossaard, who had a large symmetrical garden complex laid out on the south side of Huysdijk.

Around 1780, the residential castle was also demolished, leaving behind a ruin. Around 1850, a paper manufacturer from Roermond built an octagonal brick lodge on the northeastern corner of this. This Hunting Lodge was restored in 2005-2006. In 2011, a large medieval cellar complex was subsequently discovered, which was restored and made accessible to the public by the Stichting Kasteel Montfort in 2015-2017.

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