Castles along the Maas in Central Limburg

On the left bank of the Maas, opposite Roosteren, you will find the beautiful city of Maaseik. The municipality of Maaseik is part of Limburg's Maasland, which consists of the actual Maas Valley, which is approximately four kilometers wide, and the Maasterranes. In addition to the Maas, there are two streams in the municipality, the Bosbeek and the Zanderbeek. The planned street pattern from the time of the foundation of Maaseik is still clearly recognizable. The city walls had to make way for Burgemeester Philipslaan. When this road was rebuilt, the foundations of the Eikerpoort were discovered. The foundations of the count's castle have been uncovered in the parking garage under Kolonel Aertsplein. These can still be seen today. You will encounter beautiful sights along the way, such as the impressive Geudje Castle. The main building has two floors and an extended section on the north. Adjacent to this is a beautiful octagonal tower made of marlstone that was built in 1972 on the remains of a residential tower that stood on the site of the castle before the castle was built here. The wing that is perpendicular to the attached wing bears the year 1629, which suggests that the building was built in that year. From the castle you can cycle further to the Dieterdermolen. The historic mill is located on Dutch territory on the Roode Beek and was built around 1806. The current mill is a replacement for an earlier mill that had stood here since the thirteenth century. In 1901 the mill was converted into a turbine mill, which ground grain until the 1960s. Furthermore, you cycle to a stately mansion: Huis Witham, which is also called Huis Wittem. An old castle was built on the site of the current building in 1444. Around 1700, a house, named after its feudal lord Frederik van Wittem, was built on the remains of the historic fortress. The rectangular, white mansion was built of brick and has three floors. The oldest part of the building is the middle of the rear facade, where there is a semi-circular, closed extension. The house, which is adorned with a high hipped roof, has a square-shaped farm from the early twentieth century and a tithe barn. If you look closely, you can see the remains of a dry moat. Another beautiful castle is Limbricht Castle, which is another rare example of a well-preserved motte-and-bailey castle. The castle from 1622, which stands on an artificial hill, is surrounded by a moat and the main castle has an outer castle in the shape of a U-shaped castle farm. There is also a gatekeeper's house and a milk house to see and a sheep house was added in the eighteenth century. The square main building has a small courtyard and loopholes are clearly visible in the outer walls. In the rear wing, where a five-sided castle chapel from 1643 can be found, you can recognize a square stair tower. If you continue the route, you will finally pass Grasbroek Castle, which was once a real fortress. There is a rectangular house on the site from 1596. There are two floors with facades that swing in and out. 63 loopholes were provided so that Grasbroek could be well defended and in the east corner there is a round, brick stair tower. Diagonally opposite this tower, you will see an ark tower on the west corner. The castle was originally surrounded by a moat, but now that the moat has been drained, it is barely recognizable.