Wijenburg Castle, located in Gelderland, dates from the second half of the twelfth century. In 1271 the castle came into the possession of the Van Wijhe family, who lived in it for almost 500 years.
A turbulent history
Wijenburg Castle has a turbulent history. In 1492, the year that Columbus discovered America, Otto van Wijhe, the seventh lord of Echteld, came into conflict with Karel van Egmond, duke of Guelders, who set Wijenburg Castle on fire and imprisoned Otto in Wageningen, where he had to be tortured. to endure. Ultimately, Otto was able to redeem himself for the enormous amount of 500 gold guilders (approximately € 100,000). A year later Otto opened his gates to Charles nemesis, the Duke of Burgundy. Karel Echteld subsequently took away its independent status and made it a fiefdom of Gelre.
Summer residence
When the Van Wijhe family died out in the male line, the castle passed into the hands of the old noble Van Wassenaer family through a marriage. This happened in 1751. The Wassenaers modernized the castle (the courtyard was covered over), but there was no longer any permanent residence. Wijenburg Castle became a summer residence. This remained the case when the castle, again by marriage, came into the hands of the Van Balveren family (namesake of the hotel that belongs to the castle), who sold it again to Baron Van Verschuer. In 1956 his descendants donated the castle to the Gelderse Kastelen foundation.