The first mention of the original manor farm (the residence of which has been preserved in the southeastern part of the castle) dates from 1541. The seigniory of Rijkel was then in the possession of the Bolle van Rijkel family. The core of the eastern part was built in the second half of the 16th century. The general view came about after extensions during the 17th century. Further renovations and restorations followed in the 18th century. From 1831 the castle was empty for more than a century, after which it came into the possession of the non-profit association ASBL Les Demeures historiques de Belgique in 1936. He had some highly repaired repairs done. In 1942 it was declared a protected heritage site and in 1965 the non-profit association transferred the castle to the province of Limburg. Due to the high maintenance costs, the castle was auctioned in 2003 to the current owner Martin Hesemans, who after having owned it for a few years again put it up for sale. At the time, Hesemans had acquired the castle by public sale for 1.3 million euros and intended to turn it into a tourist attraction. However, several submitted plans, such as banquet halls, meeting rooms, restaurant and brasserie, were rejected, after which he decided to put the property up for sale.

The castle is surrounded by an eight-hectare standard orchard. This museum orchard houses, among other things, 91 (historical) cherry varieties.

The castle is not open to the public, except on "cherry day" (an event organized by the non-profit organization Fruit Region Museum on the castle grounds). The museum orchard is freely accessible.

Source: nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasteel_van_Rijkel

Translated by Google •

Ronald

December 10, 2021

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