Netherlands · 11th century
Oost Castle (Dutch: Kasteel Oost) is a manor house in Oost-Maarland, a village in Eijsden, Limburg, the Netherlands. Located along the Meuse, it can be traced to an 11th-century motte-and-bailey residential tower that was expanded several times between 1548 and 1800. After falling into dilapidation, it was renovated in 1848 but had fallen into dilapidation again by the beginning of World War II.
Beginning in 1941, an art colony led by Teun Roosenburg and his wife Jopie took residence in the castle. As they worked, trading art for food, the artists smuggled Jewish refugees away from the German occupation. The Roosenburgs purchased the castle in 1957, after which time they made extensive renovations, replacing the 1848-built chalet roof with a flatter design. After their deaths, the castle was acquired by Michel Maes; as of 2024, it is being converted into a luxury hotel.
Together with a farmhouse on the grounds, the castle was declared a rijksmonument (national monument) on 17 January 1967.
Text adapted from “Oost Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Castle Oost ranks #7,136 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #101 of the 199 mapped in Netherlands. Founded c. 1050, it is older than 89% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 436 atlas entries founded in the 11th century. 52 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Liège, 20 km away. See how Netherlands compares in the castle statistics.
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