Backside of Wijchen Castle

Despite its neat Renaissance appearance, Wijchen Castle has had a long and turbulent history. Over the centuries it has been the setting for battle, love in exile and royal life.
The castle of Wijchen is mentioned for the first time in written sources in 1392. However, the first construction probably dates back to the middle of the 14th century. Many families have owned the castle. In the 14th century it passed into the hands of the family of Galen; in 1536 the lord of Batenburg acquired it. Meanwhile, the castle had been destroyed at least once. It is most likely that one of the lords of Batenburg (the Bronkhorst family) built the new castle, which was not completed until the beginning of the 17th century. After a chimney fire in the night of 1906, the castle burned down completely. Only the outer standing wall work was spared. The municipality of Wijchen bought the castle in 1908, and the castle was restored to its former glory. Since then the stately castle has been a town hall and museum.
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