Kinkelenburg is a Dutch castle in the centre of the Gelderland town of Bemmel, in the municipality of Lingewaard. Since 1971, Kinkelenburg has had the status of a national monument. The building is used as a wedding and meeting location for the municipality and can be visited during office hours.
Presumably in the 13th century, a walled island was constructed on a low part of Bemmel, surrounded by a moat. A keep was built on this island. The house was first mentioned in 1403 when Johan van Ambe lived in the house. The attached gate tower may date from the same period. Somewhere in the 16th and 17th centuries, these towers were connected by a building. In 1765, the house was expanded with a wing. It is unknown where the name Kinkelenburg comes from.
The castle was converted into a villa by private individuals in the 19th century, thereby losing its medieval character. The last private owners and residents were members of the Homan van der Heide family from 1917 to 1948, who sold the castle to the municipality of Bemmel in the latter year. During the Second World War, the house was used as an emergency hospital. It was restored in the 1950s under Charles Estourgie Jr., during which most of De Kinkelenburg was demolished and rebuilt based on old drawings. It was then put into use as the town hall of the municipality of Bemmel and the adjacent house Brugdijk as an annex. Sculptor Ed van Teeseling made a frieze above the entrance to the council chamber and three bas-reliefs that were placed in the chamber. The frieze contains a saying from Joost van den Vondel's Roskam: If the common people call you, they will care for you as your own. Jac Maris created the war memorial Why me? that stands next to De Kinkelenburg.
Around De Kinkelenburg and Brugdijk there are old, natural populations of the meadow yellow star (Gagea pratensis). It is a rare bulbous plant from the lily family that was traditionally typical for the higher places in the Dutch river landscape. The plant flowers in March and April.
source and more info: Wikipedia
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