Kasteel Storming in The Netherlands

It is a teacher workday today, so despite the gloomy weather, the kids and I decided to explore the local area. We found a castle only 15 minutes away in Hoensbroek. The Kasteel Hoensbroek was originally built around 1250 AD. Nothing of that original castle remains, but the existing structure is built on its foundation. It was rebuilt about 100 years later, but again, only the large, round tower is all that remains. The rest was rebuilt, restored, etc., and now is a very cool place to visit. Contrary to the only other castle we have visited, you can climb and explore all over this one. It is very kid-friendly and even has a coffee bar/cafe in the old kitchen.

We had a great time and spent over three hours looking around. There were only a handfull of people there, which made climbing the steep, narrow, spiral staircase up the original tower tolerable. I would have crawled out of my skin if had been crowded, however, since the staircase is about shoulder-width wide and quite a tight spiral. There were several highlights...one being the dungeon, where a recording warns you the light is going to go out and you are left in the dark, simulating what your days would have been like were you a criminal in Mideval times. Other highlights (from a kid's potty humor perspective) were the privys that projected from the tower and emptied into the moat and the 'waste' troughs in the dining room for those who overindulged when eating...they dumped into the moat as well. Now we all know why the moat was such a formidable barrier.

This was a great rainy day adventure. The coffee bar even served super tomoato soup and ham and kaas tosti (toasted ham and cheese). We plan to visit the castle again when they have special events and reinactments, so watch for some of that color and splendor.


At the first entrance




In the courtyard before entering the main part of the castle


Tracy gets caught birdwatching


A very cool looking doorway in the courtyard (I took this one for Jim and Carol)


Will, where he belongs most of the time


In one of the tower rooms, next to the armor for an adult during the time the castle was built


More armor, in the newer part of the castle..maybe that is why this one is taller, as we have gotten taller over the centuries

Sean climbed to the highest point in the original tower and took photos out of each of the lookout windows. Another word for the defense holes at the top is loopholes. They were used for defense purposes...a weapon can fit through, but hopefully the space isn't big enough to get shot through!










And, as they say in The Netherlands, Tot Ziens!! See you later!!