Castles route Heerlen: to Wijnandsrade Castle

Today you'll pass a number of castles: the route gets off to a good start with Meezenbroeck and Terworm Castle. A little further on, you'll pass Wijnandsrade Castle, the western section of which dates back to the sixteenth century. Between the castle and the centuries-old St. Stephen's Church, you'll see the thirteenth-century motte, where the first version of the castle once stood. In the center of Wijnandsrade, you'll see several characteristic Limburg buildings. Hoensbroek Castle is one of the largest castles in the Netherlands. A motte stood on this site as early as 1225. Thanks to its strategic location on the trade routes to Maastricht, Aachen, and Cologne, this original castle developed into the largest fortress between the Meuse and Rhine rivers.