Lecture: Castles along the Aa - From defensive work to status symbol

Historian and castle expert Bas Aarts gives a fascinating lecture on the history of castles along the river Aa. The lecture will be held at the Couwenberg.

Discover the history of castles along the river Aa

How did castles originate in East Brabant? What role did they play in the Middle Ages? During this lecture, Bas Aarts will take you through the development of castles from the year 1000 onwards. In this period, the local nobility started reinforcing their courts with wood and earthen walls, as protection at a time when central authority was weak.

Later, the first motte castles emerged, such as the earliest castle of Heeswijk. These castles consisted of a fortified main castle on an artificial hill with a lower forecourt and were completely walled in. In the Late Middle Ages, these wooden castles were converted into brick castles, as in Helmond, Gemert and Veghel. For smaller noble houses, a single residential tower sufficed, as in Deurne.

With the advent of firearms, castles lost their defensive function and grew into stately residences. This led to the construction of so-called ‘omgrachte huizingen’, such as Croy Castle in Aarle-Rixtel and fortified houses in Asten.