The castle is the continuation of a complex of a former brewery with an indoor water mill and a farm with barns and stables, located halfway up the Maasberg. With the exception of the brewhouse, the current castle complex includes the same parts. The brewhouse was converted into a residence in the 17th century, but was not rebuilt after several fires.
The castle consists of a rectangular building, in which the water mill is incorporated and in later times the round indoor tower was added. The current owner is Stichting het Limburgs Landschap. The castle is now operated as a hotel - restaurant - bistro.
As a free imperial lordship, Elsloo traditionally had a castle, even before the thirteenth century. The Spanish set it on fire in 1579 during the siege of Maastricht, after which the Maas water gradually gained free rein and the original castle fell into ruin.
The current castle was rebuilt along the Slakbeek, hundreds of meters from the original location, and initially consisted of a mansion with outbuildings. The watermill is the oldest part of this 'new' castle. It dates back to 1552. The characteristic tower was built in 1843.
The original castle of Elsloo was located further west of the current castle, directly on a bend in the Maas.[1] At the beginning of the 17th century, this castle fell into disrepair because the eastern bank eroded due to the strong flowing Meuse water. Foundations of the medieval castle are still visible when the water level of the Meuse is low. The first lords of Elsloo mentioned in the sources are Herman van Elsloo and his son Arnold (or Arnulf). It is known that Herman van Elsloo took part in the Fifth Crusade in 1218-1220. The Elsloo family became extinct around 1285. The eldest daughter of the then lord of Elsloo was married to Gozewijn van Born, who became the new lord of Elsloo. After his family also became extinct, the possessions passed to the Van Schoonvorst family, then to the De Gavre/Van Gavere(n) family. During the reign of the latter family, the castle (together with the nearby church) gradually fell prey to the Meuse (as would happen again later, in the 17th century). It was still habitable, but hardly defensible. One of the lords Van Gaveren therefore built a new castle at the end of the 15th century, using the remains of the dilapidated castle. In 1641 the medieval castle had completely disappeared. Some of the economy buildings were converted into noble country residences. By public sale it became the property of Counts De Geloes. After a devastating fire in 1885, the De Geloes family left Elsloo Castle. After public sale in 1887, the remains and the associated estate came into the possession of Hendrikus Jurgens (1840-1888), a member of the Jurgens manufacturer family in Oss. After a major restoration, he and the families of his children used the estate as a summer residence. In 1957, the then owner, Dorine Verschure, left the estate, consisting of the castle, the park and 168 hectares of land, plus a capital of 118,250 guilders, to the municipality of Elsloo. The current owner is the Limburgs Landschap foundation. The castle is operated as a hotel-restaurant.
Translated by Google •
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