User:Maitiu1998/Montfort Castle (Limbourg)

Montfort Castle (in NL: Kasteel Montfort also known under the name of D'n Tómp ou De Grauwert) is located just outside the centre of Montfort. The term, ' Grauwert' refers to a tower, but the name is traditionally used to describe the whole castle without specifying the beginning of the designation.

Montfort Castle was built around 1260, under the orders of Hendrik van Gelre, who was later known as the Lord of Montfort. After periods of renovation, sieges, fires and demolitions, the castle gradually fell apart, with its impressive remains.

Since 1961, the castle belongs to Stichting Kasteel Montfort. A octagonal hunting lodge was built around 1850 on one of the remnants of the enclosure, which is restored today to its original condition.

Description
The dimensions of Montfort Castle constitute a 50x50 meter perimeter. The castle is considered to be one of the most advanced types - the floor plan is not square, but polygonal. The surrounding outer wall contains defensive layers, and a tower (the Grauwert) that has a very different form: a round rear and a pointed top. This 'beak-tower' is located on the right of the original entrance of the castle and was thus intended to deflect missiles. This is a unique example in Benelux.



Hendrik van Gelre, Lord of Montfort (1259–1284)
Hendrik van Gelre obtained the land of Linne and the surrounding area from his brother, Otto II, Count of Gelre around 1259. Around 1260, Hendrik van Gelre had a strategically based castle built in the river valley on a natural hillside amongst water.

There may have been an existing structure on this hill which was demolished or extended. The natural rock was mainly used for the castle's construction. Some of this material may have come from a demolished defence tower near the Roman bridge at Maastricht (see: Siege of Maastricht (1267)). The castle's construction was finished around 1267. The castle got the name 'Montfort' and, little by little, the neighbouring village also got the same name. The name, 'Montfort' was popular at the time.

In addition to being the Lord of Montfort, Hendrik van Gelre was also prince-bishop of Liège in the period between 1247-1274. He was dismissed by PopeGregory X for dishonourable behaviour. Hendrik regularly travelled around the region of Liège with a herd of pillagers. Consequently, Hendrik was declared an 'outlaw', which led to his ultimate destiny. In 1284, he was put to death by a pentagonal club by the people of Liège between Linne and Montfort. Reginald I of Gelre was his heir.

Reginald I of Gelre (1284–1319)
When Reginald was the successor, one of the first tasks was about extending the castle with a fifth tower, the Grauwert. The reason was, among other things, due to the beginning of the War of the Limburg Succession. Once that war ended, the Montfort site became the most meridional point of Gelre county. However, the place was captured but would be redeemed later. His son of the same name, Reginald II, Duke of Gelre considered at one point that his father could no longer govern the county. He had his father held captive in Veluwe, but a letter from the Count of Holland requested his release. Instead, Reginald II, Duke of Gelre had his father locked up in the Grauwert dungeon in 1320, the tower that he himself had constructed. Reginald I of Gelre died after six years of captivity, in 1326.

Reginald II, Duke of Gelre (1320–1343)
A blooming period begun for Reginald II, Duke of Gelre. Firstly, he married the sister of King Edward II of England, and his status raised from count to duke. England came into conflict with France (Hundred Years' War). Deliberately or otherwise, Reginald involved himself because of his links with England. He therefore played a role in peace negotiations between the countries.

In 1342, the Montfort Castle embarked on an important renovation. This was in part due to Reginald's frequent visits to the castle, where his entire court stayed. Having possession of a big castle also raised his prestige. This renovation only lasted 2 years in total, which was a relatively short period. In order to achieve this, many labourers worked at the castle. In addition to the natural rock, this time a great number of bricks were also used which were burned on site.

During this time, Reginald II had poor health and did not see the renovation being completed. He died in 1343.

After Reginald II's reign (1343–1950)
After Reginald II, Duke of Gelre, the castle was fortified again. From 1500, an outer castle called the Bongaertshof, later called the Voorhof, was added. Today's Voorhof farm was probably developed on the remains of this outer bailey. At that stage, access to the castle was more difficult because the bridge leading to the castle could only be reached by the outer courtyard - you had to cross two moats.

In the middle of the 16th century, the cannon took importance. Many castles were destroyed because of this technological evolution, but Montfort Castle was reinforced by fortification. The existing moat was filled and a new fortified wall was constructed around it. The moat was moved outside the wall. An illustration by Phillipe Taisné in 1623 still shows these fortifications. At one point, the castle no longer had a military function. These fortifications started to be demolished in 1685. The Grauwert defense tower and other sections were also demolished. The inner structure was spared and served as official residence for the . The castle became vacant in the 18th century. This significant loss of function and the high cost of maintenance led to its demolition. The reserves of rock and brick material that was available were used to repair various structures in the region.

In 1837, Jan Willem Burghoff, a wealthy business man from Roermond, privately bought the land in Montfort which also consisted of the castle ruins. About 10 years later, in around 1850, he had a hunting lodge with eight sides built on the ruins of a tower dating back to the Middle Ages. The lodge was probably designed by the famous architect, Pierre Cuypers. When it was no longer inhabited, it deteriorated heavily from the 1900s onwards.

1950 - 2002
The castle ruins became the property of the Valkenburg Castle Association (Stichting Kasteel Valkenburg) in 1953. During this time, the first reconstruction of this once important fortress had begun. The moats that had disappeared around the perimeter wall were recreated again.

In 1961, the castle ruins were relocated to the new Montfort Castle Foundation (Stichting Kasteel Montfort), which is still its current owner. This was followed by a more significant reconstruction between 1977 and the beginning of the 1980s. The surrounding wall that had been in ruins was rebuilt and enhanced, as were the corner towers. This also included the White Tower, a gate tower which was in a bad state.

From 2002 to the present day
In 2002, a new administration council was formed within the foundation. The octagonal hunting lodge from 1850 was in such a deplorable state that it was urgently redressed to avoid further deterioration. This led to concrete plans being made to restore the building to its original state. After the project plan was approved, restoration began in early 2005. In addition to the tower, the two adjacent cellars were also involved.

In February and March 2011, new excavations were carried out in which several vaulted cellars were uncovered. In May 2015, the Laudy firm of Sittard began repairing the vaults in the cellar. In order to reduce costs, monastery mops (the special type of brick that was originally used) came from demolished buildings in Hungary. By using this type of original brick, it was possible to connect the new layers of masonry to the old. The walls, which were covered with marl, were also rebuilt with second-hand marl blocks originating from Belgium. The vaults were finished in December 2015. The vaulted cellars are composed of 10 smaller cellars which were once used as storage space. In 2016, lighting was installed in the vaults while a panoramic roof was installed at the top, after which the cellars were made accessible to the public. As well as the vaulted cellars, there was a project in 2015 to restore the south-east tower containing well that is 3.5 metres deep.

The landscape around the castle is also changing. The Limburg Landscape Foundation (Stichting Limburgs Landschap) created 3 marsh ponds on the north side in 2015 to restore its marshy character. On the south side of the castle, the same foundation also began preparing a French formal garden with water features, on the same site as it was in 1750.

Regional collaboration
The restoration of the hunting lodge is not the only development. The goal of the foundations is to involve people in the castle and its landscape. In collaboration with the Limburg Landscape Foundation, a reception centre will be installed in this hunting lodge, in which 'The Castle and its Landscape' (Kasteel en z'n Landschap) exhibition will be the main subject. The Herkenbosch tourist office also organises walking and cycling tours as well as guided tours in and around the castle ruins.



Anecdotes
The castle has been used as a film set on several occasions. The feature film, ' Sjors en Sjimmie en het Zwaard van Krijn' (1977) by Henk van der Linden is one example. The castle also played a role in a short film, "The Legend of the Headless Lady" (De Legende van de Vrouwe Zonder Kop) based on a legend of drossard Wilhelm van Vlodrop's wife, Cecilia van Hamal.

Notes and references

 * (NL) This article is partly or entirely taken from the Wikipedia article in Dutch entitled 'Kasteel Montfort (Limburg)' (see list of authors).

Related articles

 * List of castles in the Netherlands (by region)