Burcht Erkelenz

Erkelenz received city rights in 1326 from Count Reinald II of Gelre, after which the counts of Gelre had the castle and the city wall built. The city has an eventful history. During the Eighty Years' War, the city council of Erkelenz was on the side of the Spaniards. In retaliation Frederik Hendrik plundered the city in 1607. The stadtholder of Spanish Gelre (the Overkwartier) Hendrik van den Bergh was taken prisoner. During the Franco-Dutch Wars (1672-1679) the city was taken by the troops of King Louis XIV. The French caused serious damage to the castle and the old city walls. After the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, Erkelenz and other parts of the Overkwartier went to Palatinate-Neuburg, into which the Duchy of Jülich had merged.