History repeated itself
The French occupation and the subsequent struggle for freedom are the inspiration for a major event at and around our castle. After all, the castle played a prominent role during the French period in the Netherlands. At the end of the 18th century, Pichegru, a general in the French Revolution under Napoleon’s command, still used the castle as his headquarters.
10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Access via the Kanaaldijk Noord parking lot
* Admission to the event is included with your ticket.* A €5 surcharge applies to Museum Card holders and members of Brabants Landschap.
Will you join us on a trip back in time? See you soon!
The Netherlands becomes France
Let’s take a quick look back at history. Was this really part of France? The answer is “yes.” During the French Period, the Kingdom of Holland was first ruled by a French monarch and eventually annexed by the First French Empire. This lasted until 1813, when the northern Dutch departments of the Napoleonic Empire were incorporated into the sovereign principality of the United Netherlands.
In the northern Netherlands, the Batavian-French period lasted eighteen years. It began with the Batavian Republic (1795–1806). Although the central and northern parts of the present-day Netherlands were within the sphere of influence of the First French Republic, they were still independent of France. That is, until Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte abolished the republic in 1806 and established the Kingdom of Holland. Four years later, the entire country was annexed by France. From that moment on, the inhabitants were, for three years, true French citizens!
South of the major rivers, the French period lasted as long as twenty years, from 1794 to 1814. The fortress of Maastricht and other regions were conquered by the French Republican armies as early as the fall of 1794. On May 11, 1795, under the Treaty of The Hague, the Batavian Republic ceded almost all of the Netherlands south of the major rivers to France. The territories that had already been conquered were also incorporated into the French Republic.
Eventually, the French were driven out in 1814. The Dutch territories came under Allied control and were governed by a number of Dutch commissioners. In 1815, it was officially merged with the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (present-day Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg).
The past comes alive at the Castle as French soldiers invade the Batavian Republic. We’re reenacting the battle between the French Republican Army and the Allies!
Good heavens, what’s going on here? It’s the early 19th century. A French army and its allied forces are taking up arms around the castle. Will the Batavian Republic shake off the French yoke? Relive the battle!
OnAugust 16 and 17 ,2025, we’ll travel back in time to the period from 1794 to 1814—the French Era, when what is now the Netherlands was the independent Batavian Republic. The French had quite a say in our country back then. Especially in the south, where the castle is located. It felt just like northern France here at that time!