Castles route Heerlen: to Wijnandsrade Castle

Today you will drive past a number of castles: the route starts off well with Meezenbroeck and Kasteel Terworm. A little further on you will pass Kasteel Wijnandsrade, the western part of which dates back to the sixteenth century. Between the castle and the centuries-old Stefanuskerk you will see the thirteenth-century motte, on which the first version of the castle once stood. In the centre of Wijnandsrade you will see several characteristic Limburg buildings. Kasteel Hoensbroek is one of the largest castles in the Netherlands. There was already a motte on this site around 1225. Due to its strategic location on the trade routes to Maastricht, Aachen and Cologne, this original castle developed into the largest castle between the Maas and the Rhine.