Bleijenbeek Castle destroyed by bombs from the RAF

On 21/22 February 1945, Bleijenbeek Castle was destroyed by bombs from the English RAF. After the bombing of the site within the moat, little has happened in the removal of bombs and grenades and the support of the tower. The ruin has been neglected for over 60 years.

Bleijenbeek Castle was founded at the end of the 14th century, when the castle in Afferden, situated on the Maas, was destroyed. Probably partly because of the water of the Maas. That place is still called 's Heerenwaard. The castle was moved about two kilometers to the east on the road to Goch. Behind it lay fens and marshes, intersected by the Gochsedijk on which Bleijenbeek lies. The castle thus controlled the only route along the right bank of the Maas, between the castle and the Maas.The shape of the castle, when it was destroyed, was largely as it was around 1700. The tower was built in 1704, in the inner courtyard. The Jesuits built another large chapel on the west side, which has been demolished. In the archives of Schloss Haag the leases of the farms on the estate are kept from around 1600. This shows that the possessions extended over a large area, from Heijen to Well. The Maasduinen, in which the area is located, were largely heather, only after 1945 predominantly planted with forest. (More in the EXTra)
Unfortunately the castle is under construction so the whole area was closed for public... I'll be back...

A huge thanks for everyone who did join the DerelictSunday challenge this week! You guys are awesome to keep up the challenge... I'll award my Hearts and Honorable Mentions, on Thursday ! You can post your images of dereliction on any day of the week as long as they have the appropriate tag. Next weeks tag is #DS231 it starts on Monday the 1st of February and ends on Sunday the 8th of February at midnight. If your entry doesn't show up under this tag, please let me know...

Examples, houses, buildings, barns, flowers, mushrooms, vehicles, bicycles, walls, window frames... and so on and so forth...Don't hesitate, but Blip...

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