Top 20 Castles around Heel

Kasteel Hillenraad has the appearance of a seventeenth or eighteenth-century building, but its core is older. The castle is first mentioned in archival documents in 1380 and was then owned by the nobleman Dirk van Oost. He came from Oost Castle near Maastricht and was somehow related to the lords of Swalmen. He is mentioned in Swalmen from 1379 and shortly thereafter also bought the ancestral seat of the lords of Swalmen, which is now known as the Ouborg. Since then, Hillenraad has always remained in the family. However, the family sometimes took on a different name through inheritance in the female line. The original building had a round tower at the back. In the seventeenth century, this had to make way for the addition of a large hall. Later, two wings were added to the sides and finally, in the eighteenth century, four towers were added at the corners. After the French period, the castle was no longer inhabited by the family and fell into considerable disrepair. When Count Herman Wolff Metternich (1887-1956) inherited Hillenraad in 1909, he began a major restoration. He saved the castle from ruin. Source and more info: https://www.archiefroermond.nl/nl/roermonds-verleden/verhalen/een-andere-geschiedenis/prachtige-plekjes/kasteel-hillenraad There are information boards near the castle and you can see quite a bit from the outside. The stately avenues in the forest are also connected to the castle, and there is also something to discover there. More about the Hillenrader Bossen at https://www.komoot.com/nl-nl/highlight/7695125

Ohé en Laak is located together with Stevensweert on the Island in the Maas, a (former) island between two river arms of the Maas, just west of the town of Echt at an altitude of approximately 26 meters. The old right arm is the Oude Maas. Due to sand and gravel excavations at various places on the island, several lakes have been created around the village, including the Dilkensplas, the Schroevendaalse plas, the Teggerse plas and most recently the Molenplas. Since the twentieth century, these have been used for water recreation and as a nature reserve, which is why the place attracts many tourists. There is a small marina. Laak consists entirely of ribbon development, located along a road that runs parallel to the Maas. Ohé has both a section with ribbon development and a part with concentrated development. From 1925 to 1934, the Juliana Canal was constructed, which forms an additional barrier between the island and the mainland. A few bridges provide the connection.

During the Eighty Years' War, the original village of Stevensweert was expanded into a fortified town by the Spanish in 1633. An earthen wall with seven bastions and five ravelins was built. Part of Stevensweert is under town protection. The fortifications can still be seen in the city's unique street pattern. Be sure to take a look at the Stevensweert-Ohé en laak regional museum. In 2007, the reconstruction of a small part of the fortifications began based on historical maps of a bastion, a rave line and the associated north side of Stevensweert.

Today's Stevensweert arose in the early Middle Ages on an island in the Meuse, with the eastern branch being the Old Meuse. This domain initially belonged to the County of Loon and since 1243 to the Oberg. From 1253 it belonged to the Ambt Montfort. In 1543 Obergelre came to the Habsburg Monarchy and thus became Spanish Obergelr. The late Gothic sculptor Jan van Steffeswert was probably born here at the end of the 15th century. The original village was converted into a fortress town in 1633 by the Spanish general Francisco de Moncada. An earthen wall with seven bastions and five rave lines was built around the place. In 1702, Stevensweert was besieged by the states, causing severe damage to the castle and the fortress becoming state property. From 1716 Stevensweert finally came into state hands and belonged to Staatsober-Gelre. Stevensweert has retained its heptagonal perimeter and geometric street pattern to this day. The original fortification wall was destroyed in 1874. In 1882 the island bridge was built over the Oude Maas, connecting the island to the mainland. In 1922 the Roermond - Sittard tram line was completed and Stevensweert received a tram stop. Five trams ran in both directions every day and a journey to Roermond station took 24 minutes. In 1937 the tram line was broken up and bus services took over passenger transport. With the construction of the Juliana Canal (1925-1934), Stevensweert was again on an elongated island, which was only connected to the shore by a few bridges and therefore always still had a more or less isolated situation. After the Second World War, gravel extraction was added, which created a number of puddles. In 2007, the reconstruction of a small part of the fortifications began based on historical maps of a bastion, a rave line and the associated north side of Stevensweert.

The fortified town of Stevensweert has everything to be counted among the most beautiful villages in Limburg: history, beauty, atmosphere and located in a beautiful part of the Netherlands. The biggest attraction of Stevensweert is the village center itself. This is one of the most picturesque villages you will find in Limburg. Specific buildings worth mentioning are the former town hall, which now houses the Streekmuseum Stevensweert/Ohé en Laak, the eighteenth-century St. Stephen's Church and the striking former Reformed Church. This monumental building now serves as a wedding location and a place where events are organized, such as concerts.

A nice place with gastronomy surrounded by water.

Montfort Castle dates back to 1260 and for centuries was one of the largest castles in the Netherlands. It was built by Hendrik van Gelre on a ridge in the water-rich Vlootbeek valley.

The castle has acted as a film set several times. For example for the feature film "Sjors en Sjimmie en het Zwaard van Krijn" (1977), by Henk van der Linden. The castle also played a role in a short feature film "The Legend of the Lady Without a Head" based on a legend about the wife of Wilhelm van Vlodrop, Cecilia van Hamal.