Ruurlo Castle (Holland)

Gelderland See list of castles in Olanda

Ruurlo Castle is a castle and estate in the municipality of Berkelland, located south of the village of Ruurlo, in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is part of a state-protected Historical Buitenplaats complex, which has been registered since 2010.

History
Ruurlo Castle is mentioned as early as 1326 and has been in the hands of the Dutch noble Van Heeckeren family since the 15th century. From the 1980s it served as the town hall of Ruurlo. Due to the merger with Borculo, Eibergen and Neede in 2005, it lost its destination. In 2013 Hans Melchers bought the castle and landscape park and had it thoroughly restored. From 2017 it is part of museum MORE.

Renovations
Because the castle was permanently built in all previous centuries, the building consists of a mixture of architectural styles. Medieval wall work still exists, especially in the basement. Almost all of the left side of the house dates back to the 16th century, with the large square tower taking its current form in 1572. The "loose" tower at the back was added at the beginning of the 17th century, of which the wall on this side was provided with new gables in the 19th century. Important parts of the interior originate from Huis De Voorst, built by Arnold Joost van Keppel, and moved to Ruurlo in the 19th century.

Just before the restoration in the early eighties, the castle was the location for the television series 'De Zevensprong' after the book by Tonke Dragt. The VVV in Ruurlo has now also organized a bicycle tour through the village with "De Zevensprong" as theme. The "Jonker Joostpad" is another walking / cycling tour around the castle, in which Joost van Heeckeren, junker and lord of the castle from the 16th century, talks about the local heritage. The castle is a popular wedding venue. In 2003, the orangery from 1879 was rebuilt next to the castle, which serves as a tea house and is rented out for special occasions.

From 2013, both the castle and the landscape park were thoroughly renovated. A new bridge was built across the water to the entrance of the castle. The wooden floors of the rooms reflect the ceiling paintings. Some of the beam paintings on the top floor are still original.