Kasteel Bleijenbeek
Bergen, Netherlands
Freely accessible
Public space — no opening hours to check.
Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.
Find out more
Kasteel Bleijenbeek, a castle ruin in the hamlet of Bleijenbeek in Limburg, Netherlands, dates to 1300 and stands as a Rijksmonument. The fortress endured repeated sieges across centuries: in 1580, lord Marten Schenk defended it against Guelders forces until Spanish cavalry intervened, but three years later it fell to Marcus van Rije, the Spanish-appointed stadtholder. The castle's most dramatic destruction came during World War II, when the RAF bombed it on 21–22 February 1945 during Operation Veritable; just fifteen German Fallschirmjäger held the ruins against three assaults before nine 1,000-pound bombs reduced it further, leaving behind a German inscription—"Sieg oder Sibirien" (Victory or Siberia)—etched in its interior. Since 2009, the Bleijenbeek Foundation has owned the property with plans to restore the structure, moat, and gardens for public access, with construction commencing in summer 2012.
- Built
- Type
- château, castle ruin
- Heritage
- Rijksmonument
- Place
- Bergen, Netherlands
This building on
Architecturally similar
Château de LichtenbergLichtenberg, France
Zuylestein CastleUtrechtse Heuvelrug, Netherlands
castle of GaasbeekLennik, Belgium
Reinhardstein CastleWaimes, Belgium
Alden Biesen CastleBilzen, Belgium
Kasteel HoensbroekHeerlen, Netherlands
Kasteel De WildenborchBronckhorst, Netherlands
Location