Jansgeleen Castle

Jansgeleen Castle, now erroneously called Sint-Jansgeleen or Sint Jansgeleen, was a medieval castle in the little village of Spaubeek, in the Dutch province of Limburg. Spaubeek is located in the municipality of Beek, about 3 km south of the town of Geleen.[1] Spaubeek was a separate municipality until 1982, when it was merged with Beek.[2]

Jansgeleen Castle
Spaubeek, the Netherlands
Jansgeleen Castle, forecourt
Detail of a map by Tranchot and Von Müffling (1803)
Jansgeleen Castle and the water mill Jansmolen
Jansgeleen Castle
Coordinates50°56′N 5°51′E
TypeCastle
Site history
Built1300 (1300)
Demolished1930 (partly)

The history of Spaubeek was closely connected to that of Jansgeleen Castle. This castle, built as House Spaubeek at a bench in the small Geleen river in the 13th century, was the first seat of the former County of Geleen in the 16th century. It got its name Heer Jansgelene after one of the former owners, Lord Jan Rode van Opsinnich in the 15th century, but was later erroneously renamed as Sint Jansgeleen after St. John the Baptist.

The castle, already in a bad shape at the end of the 19th century, and further damaged by the mine galleries of the nearby big Maurits mine at Geleen in the 1920s, was finally demolished in the 1930s. Only the buildings of the water mill (Jansmolen, hence Sint Jansmolen) and the forecourt (16th century) have remained, now both provincial monuments.[3]

Jansgeleen Castle, forecourt. Panoramic view

See also

References
  1. ANWB Topografische Atlas Nederland, Topografische Dienst and ANWB, 2005.
  2. Ad van der Meer and Onno Boonstra, "Repertorium van Nederlandse gemeenten", KNAW, 2006. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-02-20. Retrieved 2009-12-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. M.J.H.A. Schrijnemakers 1985: Sint Jansgeleen. Kasteel, hoeve en molens, [Series 'Wat Baek ós bud', 9], Beek-L: Drukkerij Econoom / Heemkunde-vereniging Beek-L.
  • Kransber, D. & H. Mils, Kastelengids van Nederland, middeleeuwen, Bussem 1979 (ISBN 90 228 3856 0)
  • Kalkwiek, K.A., A.I.J.M. Schellart, H.P.H. Jansen & P.W. Geudeke, Atlas van de Nederlandse kastelen, Alphen aan den Rijn 1980 (ISBN 90 218 2477 9)
  • Helsdingen, H.W. van, Gids voor de Nederlandse kastelen en buitenplaatsen, Amsterdam 1966
  • Tromp, H.M.J., Kijk op kastelen Amsterdam 1979 (ISBN 90 10 02446 6)

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