Nederland - Hierden, Kasteel De Essenburgh

In 1639 Johan Coolwagen bought part of an estate along the Hierdense Beek. In 1652, his son Maarten built a country house on this land called De Essenburg, probably named after the essen, which means farmland. The estate remained in the possession of this family until 1688.

In 1721 the estate experienced a golden age when it came into the hands of Mr Antony van Westervelt, a large landowner and mayor of Harderwijk, a city nearby the castle. He enlarges the house and turned the surroundings into a park, inspired by the gardens of the Louvre. The estate subsequently had various owners, until it was bought by the Norbertines in 1950 to establish a monastery. They still use a part of the buildings.

Today, Kasteel de Essenburgh - a national monument - houses a hotel and restaurant.