Doorwerth Castle

Doorwerth Castle, also known as Castle Doorwerth and Kasteel Doorwerth, is a good example of a 'waterburcht' or moated castle. It has thick outer walls to help provide protection from the water and the location has been used for defensive purposes on a number of occasions. Arguably the most notable of these occasions includes when it was occupied by the Germans during World War Two, an event which led to the castle's destruction until it's restoration was finally completed during 1983. Now, the location is open as a museum to the public. Doorwerth Castle has few hauntings, but apparently one of them is a witch-like woman in a carriage pulled by headless horses.

History

Doorwerth Castle has also been called by the names of Castle Doorwerth and Kasteel Doorwerth. It is located on the river Rhine, within the Gelderland province of the Netherlands, and is near to the city of Arnhem. More specifically, Doorwerth Castle is based in the municipality of Renkum. The large number of burial mounds in this area are evidence of early habitation in Renkum. It's thought these mounds likely belonged to horse-riding people who spread across western Europe from southern Russia. These people lived off livestock farming and hunting, plus they made bell-shaped cups which also shaped the mounds.

The Batavians inhabited the Betuwe region and the Romans occupied the Netherlands up to the Rhine. It's believed the Rhine was fordable near Doorwerth, and evidence suggesting this includes Roman harness fittings which were found near Doorwerth. This means that, at some point, Romans could very well have travelled the area in which Doorwerth Castle is based. The original owners of the castle, which is thought to have been wooden during this time, were the van Dorenweerd family. Berend van Dorenweerd was the lord of the castle and his practices were a pain to the Count of Gelre and the Bishop of Utrecht. In order to limit Berend's predatory practices, the Count of Gelre ordered for the wooden castle to be destroyed, and so the Lord of Vianen besieged the castle and it burned to the ground during the year of 1260. No date is known for when this castle was originally built, but the first mention of it occurs during the year of 1260 when it was destroyed.

The castle was rebuilt in stone by Berend for his son, Hendric, but it was besieged again during 1280 and the bailey was burned down. There is some disagreement between sources as to if the stone castle was built by Berend for Hendric, or if it was built by Hendric. It's thought this version of the castle had consisted of a simple hall-keep in the form of a rectangular tower which was two storeys high with 1.20 meter thick walls. This tower would have been either a water tower or a residential tower and it was made of stone with a size of 10 by 15 meters. Bricks baked from local river clay were also used for the tower's construction. This tower is said to be recognisable as the present east wing of the building, however this description may simply refer to where this tower once stood as the castle had to be rebuilt following World War Two. The tower also had a moat which was fed by the river Rhine. Despite the stone castle having been besieged, Doorwerth Castle continually enlarged through the 14th century, also known as the 1300s. It was during this time period that the south wing is said to have been built.

During 1402, Robert van Dorenweerd dedicated the castle to the Count of Gelre, Reinald IV, and so in return Robert was granted the castle and it's land in fief. It's said that at the start of the 15th century, also known as the 1400s, Reinald van Homoet was the lord of the castle. He was a knight and the 10th Lord of Dorenweerd. Reinald was also the owner of Doornenburg castle. During 1436, Reinald enlarged the south wing and moved the main entrance. There are also suspicions that he built the massive north wing. There are writings with calculations for a major renovation which dates 1435-1436, but this doesn't mention the north wing. Reinald also built the outer defences of Doorwerth Castle. During 1493, the castle was besieged yet again. This time the siege was carried out by Charles of Egmond, Duke of Gelderland, and the castle was captured after nine days.

Doorwerth Castle had it's final significant expansion during the middle of the 16th century, also known as the 1500s. This expansion saw the enlargement of the south wing and the construction of the tower in the south west. The owner at the time, Daem Schellart van Obbendorf, the 15th Lord of Dorenweerd, made the castle and a group of buildings on the bailey a unity and adjusted them for both space and comfort. It was by the year of 1560 that the castle had almost reached it's present appearance. During the year of 1560, Adam Schelleart from Obbendorf, also known as the Lord of Gurzenich, made changes to the castle along with fellow residents. This was done because living comfortably became more important following the 16th century, also known as the 1500s, and so it was he who expanded the south wing and built the south west tower. As for the acacia in the courtyard, the latest year this could have been planted is that of 1579. The acacia was planted in honour of the Union of Utrecht.

Around the year of 1637, the bailey was rebuilt to it's present appearance and, during the year of 1643, a dike was built around the castle to prevent the Rhine from flooding the land and lowest floor of the castle when the river would reach it's highest point. This dike was commissioned by Johan Albrecht Schellaert of Obbendorf. During the year of 1640, the northern corner of the castle was renovated and the gatehouse was built by Adam's grandson, Johan Vincent van Schellaert of Obbendorf. Some information I've found, but can't quite place accurately in the timeline, is that at one point it's said Daan Schellaert and his son Albrecht owned the castle. They were catholic during a time when Gelderland was predominantly protestant. Despite numerous complaints in protestant church meetings at the court of Gelderland about the situation in Doorwerth, the castle's owners continued to invite catholic priests to the church in Heelsum, which was part of the Lordship. Protestant services were organised in a barn to still provide reformed teachings. Following the death of Willem II, Albrecht gave in to reformed protestants and allowed the church to be opened for services. He even provided wood for the church's restoration.

Shortly after the time of Johan Albrecht Schellaert, the castle changed ownership due to financial problems. Johan had fallen into debt and encountered difficulties following the death of Willem II, and so the castle was granted in fief to the German Count of Oldenburg, Anton I van Aldenburg. Johan had to live in this situation for five years until his death during the year of 1678. Anton's successors didn't alter the castle or bailey, but they did acquire more land. Doorwerth Castle was never Anton I's main residence as he chose to live at castles in Varel and Kniphausen. In fact, it's said the Aldenburg's in general rarely stayed at the castle and so didn't modernise it, therefore people suspect this is why the location still has it's medieval exterior.

The year of 1672 was known as the disaster year for the Netherlands, and Anton van Aldenburg had possession of Doorwerth Castle during this time. The reason it's known as the disaster year is because it's the year the Franco-Dutch war began. The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was attacked by England, France, and the bishoprics of Münster and Cologne. Both French and Dutch troops were stationed in the area of the castle, and the castle served as shelter for the residents and livestock of Doorwerth. The judge at the time, Op ten Noort, had allowed this to happen in the name of the Count. When the guests left, the castle was both empty and filthy. So, the judge threatened to charge the costs to the residents if they didn't send maidservants and daughters to clean it up. The Count himself didn't visit the location until 1677. He visited as he travelled to Nijmegan as a representative of the Danish court for the peace negotiations. Anton's widow, Charlotte Amelie, Duchess de la Trémoille, stayed at Doorwerth Castle until her death which occured during 1684.

Anton was only married to Charlotte for five months and she was the only one from her family to stay at Doorwerth during the year of 1684. Charlotte came from noble lineage which included William of Orange and Charlotte of Bourbon. As Charlotte's dad was in the service of the Dutch State, she spent her youth in the Netherlands. She had then met Anton in Copenhagen where Anton resided at the court. Following Anton's death, Charlotte and her son had to share the inheritance with Anton's other children. This situation made Charlotte feel unsafe and so she travelled with her entourage to Doorwerth. With her living in the castle, the gardens were maintained again, she built a chapel near the castle, and there were frequent visitors.

William II, the guardian of Charlotte's son, Anton junior, was a regular guest to the castle. He often visited to hunt and had royal roads built in the forest. William II also began negotiations to buy the castle with Johan van Arnhem mediating the purchase. William first offered money, but when Charlotte refused the offer he instead proposed to trade with his castle in Ijsselstein. Anton junior, who was studying in Utrecht at the time, visited Ijsselstein to inspect the castle and found it to be uninhabited and dilapidated. The negotiatons for William II to buy Doorwerth Castle lasted for years, only ending upon his death.

Anton, Charlotte's son, married Anna von Inn-und Kniphausen. This wasn't a happy marriage and the two quickly divorced. A few years later, Anton was married again but instead to Princess Wilhelmina Marie of Hesse-Homburg. The couple alternated between living in residences within Varel, Kniphausen, and Doorwerth. Anton had the road from Arnhem to Utrecht widened and planted trees on both sides. He also expanded the Lordship of Doorwerth by buying properties such as Wolfheze. Due to these purchases, Anton fell deeply into debt.

It was at some point during the 18th century, also known as the 1700s, that the south west tower was demolished. This tower was later rebuilt during the the 19th century, also known as the 1800s. It was during the year of 1715 that Charlotte Sophie was was born at Doorwerth as the only heir to Anton. At the age of eighteen, Charlotte was married off by Anton to Willem Bentinck, the son of a good friend of the Dutch Prince. During this time, Anton was driven by his debts and Willem seemed a promising candidate to resolve this by marrying Charlotte. However, Willem was also in significant debt. After the wedding, Charlotte and Willem lived in The Hague at Sorgvliet which is now known as the Catshuis. It was during 1732 that Charlotte's grandmother died, and it was during 1738 that Charlotte's dad, Anton, died. Charlotte's grandmother and dad were both buried in Varel.

Charlotte and Willem eventually separated. Charlotte's mum supported her and provided shelter for both her and her youngest son in Varel. Once the divorce was finalised, Willem was awarded custody of his and Charlotte's children. Charlotte lived in Doorwerth during this time, and she continued to write letters to her sons, however received few letters back in return. Willem then suspended the region's finances which forced Charlotte to seek help across Europe. She ended up in Berlin, Germany, and this is where she met Frederick the Great, King of Prussia; although, he gave her little support. After four years, Charlotte left Berlin after signing a treaty which relinquished her claims to Varel and Kniphausen in exchange for an annual pension. Her time in Berlin brought her a friendship with the writer Voltaire before she then returned to Doorwerth and worked to restore the castle until her death.

It was during the year of 1768 that Charlotte's son, Antoine, died. Then, during the year of 1770, Charlotte's mum died in Varel. Charlotte's husband died during 1774, and Charlotte's second son died in England during 1775. Varel and Kniphausen were both inherited by Charlotte's grandchildren, and Charlotte had to mortgage Doorwerth and so lived in a rented house in Hamburg. Charlotte also instigated a legal battle at the Gelderland Court against her daughter-in-law to recover income from Doorwerth from the past years. The court initially ruled against her, but upon appeal Charlotte won the case and her daughter-in-law was ordered to pay the legal costs along with the income from Doorwerth dating back to her former husband's death.

After forty years, Charlotte returned to Doorwerth accompanied by her foster son, Karl Weissbrod, from Paris. They didn't stay for long though and soon moved back to Hamburg. During 1784, Charlotte hired J.G. Michael to set up the gardens and it probably took four years to finish the job. During the Prussian War, within the year of 1787, soldiers were stationed at Doorwerth Castle. Five batteries were stationed in and around Doorwerth, one of which was destroyed along with the largest farm at that time. Charlotte Sophie died during the year of 1800 and the castle passed into the hands of her heirs in England, her grandson and great-grandson. The castle fell into disuse as they didn't choose to live there, but they tried keeping it in their possession by selling wood and leasing the property. However, it was apparently looked after by a steward for the owners in England during this time and remained empty.

During the year of 1813, William Bentinck died and the castle was passed to his eldest son who passed it to his brother, Charles Bentinck. During 1837, the castle was sold by Charles in a neglected state to Jacob Adriaan Prosper, Baron of Brakell; also referred to Baron van Brakell by sources. Jacob came from the Betuwe region, and his family both played a role in the Nijmegan quarter and were very wealthy. Jacob carried out a thorough restoration of the castle and completely modernised it. Jacob brought six children with him and, while living in Doorwerth, he gained three more. Jacob regularly organised hunting parties and receptions, and he was soon appointed as mayor.

During 1851 municipal law required an elected council, and so there were doubts about if Doorwerth with 300 residents could remain as an independent municipality. It's said that Jacob believed it could remain independent and so managed to maintain the village's independence with a pamphlet called 'The Doorwerth Question' along with his influence in The Hague. The municipal council was elected and meetings were held publicly. However, apparently Jacob died during 1844; so it couldn't have been him who led this campaign. Seemingly contradictory information says that Baron van Brakell died during 1853, therefore there must have been a second Baron after Jacob. If this is the case, then Jacob died during 1844 and the second Baron van Brakell campaigned about the village's independence before dying during the year of 1853.

Apparently, following Jacob's death during 1844, the castle fell into neglect once more. However, apparently Baron van Brakell's widow and family continued to live in the castle after he died during 1853 and his eldest son succeeded him as mayor. This implies that, unless the potential second Baron also became mayor, that Jacob could have died during 1853 and not the commonly cited 1844 date. If you have any information regarding this time period, please do contact me and let me know the exact dates as the information here is quite indecisive between sources.

It was during 1880 that the widow died and the estate was then divided up amongst all of the children, along with the grandchildren of any children who had died. The castle itself was inherited by one of the grandsons, and it was left vacant when Philippe Frederic Antoine Jacques van Brakell built a new house called 'Hoog Doorwerth' near the Boersberg. Doorwerth Castle remained neglected until the year of 1910 when it was bought by a retired artillery officer called Frederic Adolph Hoefer. It's also been said that during 1910 the Baron's eldest son sold it to the association 'De Doorwerth', so I assume Frederic had connections to this association. Regardless, restoration work began as the roof, attics, and floors needed replacing. Through this restoration, some of the 19th century, also known as 1800s, alterations and additions were undone.

During 1913, the restoration was complete and a Dutch artillery museum was installed within the castle. This museum later became the Army Museum and was one of the first museums in the Netherlands which was housed within a castle. Other parts of the castle were used to store archaeological finds from Gelderland, and the remaining areas were made available to the Johanniter Order. World War Two, particularly Operation Market Garden and the Battle of Arnhem which occured during the September of 1944, left the entire hamlet and castle in ruins. This was because of both German destructiveness and Allied shelling during the liberation of the south of the Netherlands.

On the 20th of September 1944, the castle was used by the Germans for defence to the west. On the 25th of September, the castle and surrounding area was heavily shelled by the Allies to allow a crossing of British soldiers the following day. The British were then supplied with containers with parachutes but they quickly fell into German hands around the castle. The castle itself was destroyed by garnet fire when the ammunition stocks of the Germans were set on fire and fired upon by the Allies. Following the fighting, the castle was just a pile of rubble. The village was revived during 1955 when the municipality of Renkum got a lack of building land, although some sources have said the original houses were never built up again after World War Two.

After the war, the Verenging de Doorwerth took the initiative for restoration and, during 1956, the Geldersche Kasteelen took over management. During 1956, the Geldersche Kasteelen also got ownership of Doorwerth Castle. During 1964, the Dutch film director Stephan Brenninkmeijer was born at Castle Doorwerth and he lived there until 1970. From 1974, the Dutch Hunting Museum was housed in the southern wing of the castle. Then, after thirty seven years worth of rebuilding and restoration, the work was finally completed during 1983 and the castle could be visited by the public. Three years later, the castle was open to the public with the Museum Veluwezoom housed in the east wing. Today, the castle is owned by the 'Friends of the Castles of Gelderland' foundation and they maintain the castle as a museum.

Hauntings

Surprisingly, this location has few details on the hauntings here. There is a story which says Berend was challenged to a duel after kissing a knight's wife. Berend won the duel, killing the knight after they had been distracted by a flash of lightning. It's said Berend then spent the rest of his life waking from dreams where the knight's wife and a bloodied sword lay in bed alongside him. Berend is said to be one of the spirits haunting the castle, and it's said he wanders the castle at dusk. The ghost of a girl who supposedly starved to death in the walls of the building is also said to wander the castle. This girl is seen most often in the north wing, especially within the hunting hall. A former employee has also reported feeling unpleasant while working in the castle, and they are convinced of hearing footsteps.

Some more dubious reports include the figure of a father who cast off his daughter and locked her up in one of the dungeons, a misty apparition of one of the castellans who killed his friend because he wanted his wife for his own, an unhappy ghost of a servant who stole silver and apparently died of starvation, plus a witch-like woman who is in a carriage pulled by headless horses. As you can see from those hauntings, the story of the servant and the castellan both echo details from the story about Berend and the girl, so they could be the same but phrased differently amongst sources. Apparently, during the February of 2004, a spirit was photographed within the castle but none of the sources used have included this image when mentioning this event.

Summary Of Hauntings

1. Berend, killed a knight as wanted their wife - wanders at dusk

2. A girl, starved to death - north wing, the hunting hall

3. A father, locked up daughter in dungeons (?)

4. Servant, stole silver, died of starvation (?)

5. A witch-like woman, in carriage pulled by headless horses (?)

6. Footsteps

7. Unpleasant feelings

8. A castellan, killed friend as wanted their wife, misty apparition (?)

My Thoughts

The first thing I need to say here is a disclaimer for some of the information provided within the article. With this being a foreign location, there are certain names which may be alternative spellings for the same person; however they could have been discussed as though they were different people. As I'm not certain on these details, I have kept the names the same as what other sources have reported them as being. So, it's important to bear this in mind regarding the history discussed.

When it comes to the hauntings, I was surprised at how few reports I've found here. For instance, footsteps and unpleasant feelings are both vague and stereotypical. Also, two of the reported hauntings could be the same as two others. The reason why I listed them as separate is because even though the stories are almost identical, there are additional details and different wordings which could indicate similar events having repeated. As I found no reference to the dungeons while researching the history of the building, I really doubt the spirit of the dad who locked up his daughter is present. The same goes for the witch-like woman. The vague mention of her and the carriage pulled by headless horses is too extreme for me to believe it has any legitimacy.

I can get behind Berend and the servant being present in the location though as I do believe the most likely candidates for spirits in these locations are past residents and staff. I doubt though that any servant present will have the backstory of having starved to death within the castle. Again, this detail seems a bit too dramatic and like a horror film for me to give it any weight. I suspect these more extreme stories have likely either been generated for tourism purposes, or they've come from 'psychic mediums' who have visited the location and given their thoughts on what is present.

Thank You!

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