Voorst – Kasteel Nijenbeek

Nijenbeek Castle has had a turbulent history. This is clearly visible from her dilapidated appearance. The castle played an important role in the Duchy of Guelders, in the uprising against the Spanish and the resistance against French troops. But ultimately it was the Second World War that finally turned the castle into ruins. Strategically located […]

Nijenbeek Castle has had a turbulent history. This is clearly visible from her dilapidated appearance. The castle played an important role in the Duchy of Guelders, in the uprising against the Spanish and the resistance against French troops. But ultimately it was the Second World War that finally turned the castle into ruins.

Strategically located on the IJssel

Nijenbeek Castle was built around 1230, strategically located on the IJssel. It probably started as a wooden residential tower on an island in the river. But De Nijenbeek was soon expanded into a real brick castle, with outbuildings and an outer bailey. The castle came into the possession of the dukes of Gelre who loaned the castle to the Van Steenbergen family, probably the descendants of an illegitimate child of the duke.

The legend of the fat duke

Nijenbeek Castle is best known for the imprisonment of Duke Reinoud III of Gelre. In the infamous fraternal quarrel with his younger brother Eduard, Reinoud was defeated and was imprisoned in Nijenbeek in 1361. The story goes that Reinoud was fed very well there. After a few years he had become so fat that the guards could leave the cell door open – Reinoud could no longer fit through the opening. When his brother Eduard died in a battle after ten years, Reinoud was released. To do this, the wall had to be demolished.

Ruin

Over the course of its existence, the castle has often changed its appearance. The outbuildings and the outer bailey were demolished in exchange for a new addition to the tower. In the end, only the tower remained standing. At the end of WWII, a few Germans barricaded themselves in the castle. To chase them away, the castle was fired upon by the Allies. The extension and roof were severely damaged. Despite emergency repairs, the roof eventually collapsed and the elements have had free rein since then. Nijenbeek Castle is now nothing more than a ruin that can only be seen from a distance.