Kasteel Ruurlo

Kasteel Ruurlo is a moated castle in Ruurlo, a village in the Achterhoek region of Gelderland, and it is listed here with Winterswijk, though Ruurlo is a separate village some distance to the west, in the municipality of Bronckhorst. It is a small, compact castle of the Dutch Renaissance type, surrounded by water and set in a park of lawns, old trees and paths, and it is a national monument. In recent years it has become known as a place for art, since it houses a museum of modern realist art, so a visit combines history, architecture and painting in a quiet rural setting.

The Achterhoek is castle country. The word means the back corner, and the region is a landscape of small fields, hedgerows, woods and streams, with a great number of country houses and castles built by the local nobility from the Middle Ages onwards. Many were rebuilt in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as comfortable residences, with brick facades, stepped gables, towers and a moat that was by then more decorative than defensive. Ruurlo follows this pattern, and its image reflected in the moat is what draws photographers. The castle has been through several owners and restorations, and the grounds were laid out as a landscape park.

Inside, the museum is the main attraction. It is dedicated to modern and contemporary realism, a kind of figurative painting and sculpture that stays close to the visible world, often in a precise or dreamlike style, and the exhibits are arranged so that the historic rooms and the modern works play off one another. Some accounts link the castle to the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, but his work is housed in other museums, in The Hague and Leeuwarden, so visitors looking for Escher should go there. Opening hours vary, so check before travelling, and note that special days and holidays may differ from the usual schedule.

The park is the other pleasure. It is open to walkers, with gardens, avenues and a quiet, shaded atmosphere, and it is a good place to relax after a museum visit. The surrounding Achterhoek is ideal for cycling, with routes between castles, villages and farms, and a large number of cafes catering for riders. Winterswijk, to the east, has its own character, with the Winterswijk quarry, a famous fossil site, and wide, open countryside near the German border.

The castle suits art lovers, cyclists and those who enjoy historic buildings and gardens. Allow one to two hours for the museum and the park, and consider combining it with another castle on the Achterhoek cycling routes.