Castle of Amstenrade

Castle of Amstenrade is a 18th-century castle and estate located in the same place Amstenrade in Dutch Limburg municipality Schinnen.

History

The first mention of Amstenrade dates back to a document from 1271. In the late 12th and early 13th century for the first time been a stronghold of the Van Amstenraedt Gentlemen, probably founded by the family of De Vrien. The original castle, built by Huyn of Amstenraedt was a castle with three round towers and a square tower. From this square tower are still remnants present in the current square tower, built around 1609.
From 1350 Amstenrade came into possession of the family Huyn, whose Servaes Huyn, a Brabants vassal, is referred to as progenitor. This genus Huyn was a powerful family with a lot of respect in Limburg in the following centuries. When Philip II of aldermen Oirsbeek, comprising the villages of Oirsbeek, Amstenrade, Bingelrade and Merkelbeek and also the aldermen Brunssum with the villages Schinveld and Jabeek in 1557 to delicacies belonging to the county Valkenburg, lifted up, these were pledged to Werner Huyn of Amstenrade. In 1654 followed an elevation to county, incorporating the glory Geleen with Spaubeek, with headquarters St. Jansgeleen was added. The county was named Amstenrade and Geleen. The genus Huyn branched into a Amstenraadse, Maastricht, Geleen and Voerendaalse line. In the middle of the 17th century, the family Huyn died on the male side and by marriage Godefrieda Huyn was the county owned by the Counts of Salm. By inheritance after the castle was owned by the Princes de Ligne. Reinier Corten sheriff of Amstenrade and Geleen stayed as a steward at the castle. The family De Ligne sold it in 1779 to the Liege banker Nicholas Willems. Willems left demolish the antiquated castle, where the canals were filled in, but the square tower was preserved. According to original plans, the new castle would be a U-shaped building, but the east wing was dropped due to lack of sufficient funds. Nicholas Willems, who was single, died in 1788 and bequeathed his possessions to the daughter of his sister, Baroness Victoire de Hayme the Bomal, married with Count Claude de Marchant d'Amsembourg.
The castle is to this day is still owned by the family today. A well-known inhabitant of the castle was Max Count de Marchant et d'Ansembourg, leader of the NSB in the House and Commissioner of the Province of Limburg under occupation. His widow Myriam von Furstenberg lived in the castle until her death in 2006. On February 17, 2007, the previous owner of the castle, Lambert Count de Marchant et d'Ansembourg died suddenly at the age of 74 during a short break abroad. His daughter, Leila Lidth de Jeude  countess of Marchant and Ansembourg (born 1976), is the current owner.

Source: Wikipedia