Top 5 Castles around Rucphen

In the 13th century, the lordship of Wuustwezel and Westdoorn was given in fief by the Duke of Brabant to the Van Wilre family. In 1624, it came into the possession of the Van der Rijt family. According to a drawing (1687) by Jacob de Roy, the castle was completely surrounded by water. In 1745, the lordship came into the hands of the de Vinck family (last lord of Wuustwezel and Westdoorn). At this moment, the castle with the goods of Wuustwezel is still in the possession of heirs of the de Vinck family (van de Vinck, via du Chastel de Howardries and Gericke van Herwijnen to Van de Werve de Schilde).

This location is freely accessible. Take a dive into the past and be guided by the information signs on the site. Historical interpretation: Charles the Fifth, Erasmus, Philip the Second, and so on. They all visited Wouw Castle around the sixteenth century. These were the heyday for the castle. Until recently there was nothing left to see of the castle. The centuries-old walls of this castle were hidden in the ground for years, but with the restoration of the walls and the restoration of the moat, the castle is coming back to life. Four-meter-high earthen walls now mark the contours of the former castle complex. A modern access bridge takes you to the central area where the old castle and outbuildings used to be. The old castle has now been partly restored and reintegrated. The contours of the former outbuildings have been made visible with elevations. The highest elevations are the youngest buildings. The lowest parts are the oldest and belong to the old castle that was built between 1250 and 1300. The 'new' well is special. The upper part that is visible was built on a 4½ meter deep well of the castle. It is completely covered with natural stone on the inside and still functions well. Note the coat of arms of the Van Glymes family in the well and the names of the lords of Bergen op Zoom in the edges. The natural stone top edge is almost completely original, because these stones were thrown into the well. Would you like a tour of the grounds? Then walk with the guide on Saturday morning at 10:30 am. You can register via redactie@kasteelvanwouw.nl.

Gravel takes you along the wet banks of the former Wouw Castle.

Charles the Fifth, Erasmus, Philip the Second, and so on. They all visited Wouw Castle around the sixteenth century. These were the heyday for the castle. Until recently there was nothing left to see of the castle. The centuries-old walls of this castle were hidden in the ground for years, but with the restoration of the walls and the restoration of the moat, the castle is coming back to life. Four-meter-high earthen walls now mark the contours of the former castle complex. A modern access bridge takes you to the central area where the old castle and outbuildings used to be. The old castle has now been partly restored and reintegrated. The contours of the former outbuildings have been made visible with elevations. The highest elevations are the youngest buildings. The lowest parts are the oldest and belong to the old castle that was built between 1250 and 1300. The 'new' well is special. The upper part that is visible was built on a 4½ meter deep well of the castle. It is completely covered with natural stone on the inside and still functions well. Note the coat of arms of the Van Glymes family in the well and the names of the lords of Bergen op Zoom in the edges. The natural stone top edge is almost completely original, because these stones were thrown into the well. Would you like a tour of the grounds? Then walk with the guide on Saturday morning at 10:30 am. You can register via redactie@kasteelvanwouw.nl.

Hens Castle was built in 1910-1912 on behalf of the widow Hens. The castle was named Rustoord. The German occupiers seized it during the First World War. In 1926 the castle was purchased by the municipality and has since served as the town hall.

This sign contains a few points that you as a visitor must observe.

The castle of Wouw was probably built in the second half of the thirteenth century as a round 'water' castle with a diameter of 40 meters. This castle had an outer bailey and was surrounded by two moats. The fortress was built from monasteries and the walls had a thickness that varied from one to one and a half meters. Due to the emerging threat of modern gunpowder weapons, construction of a fortress around the castle started at the end of the fifteenth century. This fortress had four corner towers that connected with earthen walls to a new IP front gate and an outer moat of 42 meters wide. The outer bailey was also modernized during this period. The castle of Wouw stood on the plot that still bears the name Kasteelweide today at the end of the Casteelse Dreef that can be reached from the Waterstraat and the Boomhoefstraat. Along this lane runs the Wouwse stream, which used to feed the canals of the castle with water. The castle grounds are now a protected archaeological national monument. The plot is located northwest of the village of Wouw in West Brabant. Wouw is now a village within the municipality of Roosendaal. Source: www.kasteelvanwouw.nl

Through this beautiful bridge you can look at the ruins of the castle.