Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: acht kastelen route

The earliest known history of Kasteel Hackfort (Hackfort Castle) is dating back to the year of 1324, when the Lord of Bronckhorst commissioned the building of a castle. In 1392 ‘House Hacforden’ was nothing more than just a residential tower and a moat. In 1586 the castle was destroyed by the Spanish troops during the Eighty Year's War (the Dutch Independent War). After the liberation of the region by Prince Maurits van Oranje, the castle was rebuilt in 1598 by Borchard van Westerholt. In 1788, Kasteel Hackfort underwent substantial renovations. The old gate house and outbuildings were demolished and the canals were filled in. The castle was transformed into an 18th-century manor house. Nowadays only the two thick cylindrical towers are reminders of the (former) castle. The castle is surrounded by forests and meadows and includes Hackfort Watermill . The castle remained for centuries in the possession of the family Van Westerholt. When the last Baroness Westerholt of Hackfort died in1981, Kasteel Hackfort and estate were donated to Natuurmonumenten (a Dutch society for preservation of nature monuments).

The Watermolen Hackfort (Hackfort Watermill) is located on the estate Hackfort , close to the castle of the same name. The undershot watermill was first mentioned in the year 1442, while the current square stone building was built around 1700. The mill is equipped with a water wheel with blades and is powered by water from the Hackfortse Beek. The water wheel drives millstones to grind grain. The water mill also supplies electricity to the electricity network. In 1952 the mill was shut down due to the poor condition of the wheel and building. At that time the stream also contained too little water to power the mill. In 1981, the estate (with castle and mill) came into the hands of the Natuurmonumenten (a Dutch society for preservation of nature monuments) and was refurbished. After the water board had ensured that sufficient water flowed through the Hackfortse Beek, a new water wheel was installed in 1998. Since that moment the mill has been in use. Volunteer millers are sawing wood and grinding grain for cattle feed on hydropower. On Saturdays and on special occasions the mill is open to visitors.

De Wildenborch is one of the eight castles in and around the village of Vorden. The country estate consists of a castle with a round tower and side wings, a building house with a coach house attached to it and 38 ha. partly landscaped garden and partly park forest. The gardens of ‘De Wildenborch’ - considered being one of the most beautiful in the Netherlands - are open for public a couple of times a year. In spring, the English landscape garden is traditionally opened one weekend to let visitors enjoy the vast fields of snowdrops (and winter aconites). Between the deciduous trees, along the paths, near the water features; these heralds of spring appear everywhere and form a white carpet of flowers in various places. During our visit in 2021, the winter aconites - unlike exactly ten years earlier - were not yet in bloom. But we were able to enjoy thousands, if not millions of snowdrops.

De Wildenborch (“castle in the wild marsh”), as it is seen today, looks nothing like the strong medieval fortress that had great defensive significance until the 17th century. The castle was located in a watery and wild swampy area and that location made the fortified house an almost impregnable fortress. It is assumed that the house originally consisted of a strong, square residential tower, surrounded by a swampy, repeatedly moated area. Only the current tower of the castle still contains remains of the originally medieval front gate. The oldest mention of De Wildenborch dates from 1371, when it was in the possession of robber knight “Sweder Rodebaert van Wisch”. The oldest known feudal document is from 1449. The castle remained in the hands of the “Van Wisch” family for a long time. The successive lords lived in politically turbulent times and were repeatedly in armed conflict with the cities of Zutphen and Deventer and with the Duke of Gelre. There were several unsuccessful siege attempts around 1500. The “Van Wisch” family died out in 1541. Via a female heiress, the castle came into the hands of the “Van Limburg Stirum” family. Over the centuries there have been several renovations. From the second half of the 17th century onwards, the castle rapidly fell into disrepair, after which it was sold in 1700. At that time only the inhabitable gate tower was remaining. After several changes of ownership, De Wildenborch was auctioned in 1757. The buyers were probably only interested in the five thousand oaks that stood on the estate. After these had been auctioned, the estate was sold again in 1768. In 1780 “Damiaan Hugo Staring” and his wife bought De Wildenborch . His son “Anthony Christiaan Winand Staring” - a well known Dutch poet - was another well known resident of the castle. He filled and planted most of the surrounding marshland with deciduous trees. The house is still inhabited by descendants of “Staring”. Nowadays De Wildenborch is one of the eight castles in and around the village of Vorden in the Dutch province of Gelderland. The country estate consists of a castle with a round tower and side wings, a building house with a coach house attached to it and 38 ha. partly landscaped garden and partly park forest. There are large water features around the house. The house is closed to the public. The gardens of ‘De Wildenborch’ are open for public a couple of times a year.

The name 'stinzenplanten' originates from the Frisian word 'stins', which means 'stone'. That refers to the time when only rich people had a house of stone. From the 16th century onwards, adventurers took all kinds of bulbous, tuberous and root plants with them from their travels. They sold these plants to people who could afford them: owners of country estates, castles and mansions. ‘Stinzenplanten’ are very suitable for naturalization. On some estates the house has already disappeared, but the plants still bloom every spring. On the Hackfort estate around the medieval castle have always been many stinzenplanten in the landscape park, dating back from around 1820. It is known that there were large areas of forest anemones and lilies of the valley. But more and more blackberries got the upper hand and many of the original flowers disappeared. In 1981, Hackfort Castle and estate were donated to Natuurmonumenten (Netherlands Natural Heritage Society). In 2009 an inventory of the plants was made and a year later the society commissioned landscape-architect Trudi Woertman to make a design for an additional stinzenflora planting on Hackfort. Nowadays the park around the castle is an imposing eye-catcher with thousands of blooming springtime flowers.

The Watermolen Hackfort is located on the estate Hackfort , close to the castle of the same name. The mill was first mentioned in the year 1442, while the current square stone building was built around 1700. The mill is equipped with a water wheel with blades and is powered by water from the Hackfortse Beek. The water wheel drives millstones to grind grain. The water mill also supplies electricity to the electricity network. In 1952 the mill was shut down because of the poor condition of the wheel and building. At that time the stream also contained too little water to power the mill. In 1981, the estate (with castle and mill) passed into the hands of the Natuurmonumenten and was refurbished. After the water board had ensured that sufficient water flowed through the Hackfortse Beek, a new water wheel was installed in 1998. Since that moment the mill has been in use. Volunteer millers are sawing wood and grinding grain for cattle feed on hydropower. On Saturdays and on special occasions the mill is open to visitors.

The history of Hackfort Castle is dating back to the year of 1322, when it was officially mentioned. In 1392 ‘House Hacforden’ was nothing more than just a residential tower. In the 1586 the castle was destroyed by the Spanish troops during the Eighty Year's War (the Dutch Independent War). After the liberation of the region by Prince Maurits van Oranje, the castle was rebuilt in 1598 by Borchard van Westerholt. In 1788, Hackfort Castle underwent substantial renovations. The old gate house and outbuildings were demolished and the canals were filled in. The castle was transformed into an 18th-century manor house. Nowadays only the two thick cylindrical towers are reminders of the (former) castle. The castle is surrounded by forests and meadows and includes the watermill of Hackfort. The castle remained for centuries in the possession of the family Van Westerholt. When the last Baroness Westerholt of Hackfort died in1981, Hackfort Castle and estate were donated to Natuurmonumenten (Netherlands Natural Heritage Society). The house, coachhouse (nowadays a restaurant) and watermill have since been restored and opened to the public.

The ‘Lindesche Molen’ (also called ‘Molen Ons Belang’) is an octagonal ‘belt mill’. The ‘belt (= a man made hill) for this mill has a height of 4.20 metres. These ‘belts’ were made in order to provide more wind for the mill. The present mill was built in 1890 on the site of an even older mill (1856), which burned down. The mill wasn’t used for many many years. In the year of 1971 it was restored and the sails could turn again. Twenty years later mill stones were placed and the mill was ready for grinding flour again. The ‘Lindesche Molen’ is situated in the hamlet Linde, nearby the town of Vorden and along the ‘Achtkastelen route’ (Eight Castles route); a bike route along eight castles/mansions.

Castle Vorden was first mentioned in a deed from 1315, in which ‘Steven van Vorden’ the castle and outbuildings gave to his uncle, Dirk van Vorden. The castle probably dates from the 13th century, but it was very different from today. The square tower was certainly part of the medieval building, but the present castle for the most part was built in the 16th century. This square shape was then common. The castle lost in the course of centuries its defensive function and was rebuilt in the 19th century into a mansion. In 1873, the entrance was moved to the northern wing, with a wooden bridge across the moat. The castle was left to decay after the World War II until restoration took place in 1976 and it became city hall of the municipality of Vorden. In 2004 Castle Vorden was sold to a private invester, who restored the house to its former glory. Since then the castle is used as a wedding venue and hotel. Castle Vorden is one of the eight castles/mansions in and a round Vorden. There is a special bike route along these castles.

Den Bramel is one of the eight castles in and around the small village of Vorden. The history of Den Bramel is dating back to the year of 1396, when it was first mentioned. The present manor was built from 1720 – 1726 and a couple of times renovated and extended. The ‘castle’ is still privately owned and inhabited. The so called Achtkastelenroute (Eight Castles Route) is a special bike route along the castles.

The Wildenborch is one of the eight castles in and around the village of Vorden in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located between Vorden and Lochem. The castle was first mentioned in the year of 1372, when it was owned by the infamous Count Sweder Rodebaert van Wisch, a knight who loved robbing and looting. The Wildenborch (“castle in a wild swamp region”) was surrounded by swamps and was an ideal hideout after raids in the surrounding areas. Originally 'De Wildenborch' was surrounded by two moats, which nowadays still can be seen. By the 18th century the castle had fallen into disrepair and it was sold in that state to Damiaan Hugo Staring in 1781. His son, Anthony Christiaan Winand Staring (1767-1840) was another famous resident of the castle. He filled and planted most of the surrounding marshland with deciduous trees. The Staring family still provides opportunities for historical and literary research. The estate is accessible, but the house - still inhabited by descendants of Staring - is closed to the public (except during the annual Staring Nights). The gardens of ‘De Wildenborch’ are open for public a couple of times a year.

The history of Hackfort Castle is dating back to the year of 1322, when it was officially mentioned. In 1392 ‘House Hacforden’ was nothing more than just a residential tower. In the 1586 the castle was destroyed by the Spanish troops during the Eighty Year's War (the Dutch Independent War). After the liberation of the region by Prince Maurits van Oranje, the castle was rebuilt in 1598 by Borchard van Westerholt. In 1788, Hackfort Castle underwent substantial renovations. The old gate house and outbuildings were demolished and the canals were filled in. The castle was transformed into an 18th-century manor house. Nowadays only the two thick cylindrical towers are reminders of the (former) castle. The castle remained for centuries in the possession of the family Van Westerholt. When the last Baroness Westerholt of Hackfort died in1981, Hackfort Castle and estate were donated to Natuurmonumenten (Netherlands Natural Heritage Society) and the house, coachhouse (nowadays a restaurant) and watermill have since been restored and opened to the public, although with limited opening hours. The picture is taken from the watermill: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/26902929/in/album/537909

Watermill nearby Castle Hackfort (Vorden) along the 'Hackfortse Beek'. The mill is dating back to the year 1700.