Culture
Huys ter Horst Castle
A ruin over 700 years old, with a lookout tower
Huys ter Horst Castle at a glance
3 minby car
7 minon foot
2 minby bike
1.1 kmdistance
- Location
- Horst
- Address
- Kasteellaan 2, 5961 BW Horst
- Admission
- € 7.50 from age 13, € 3.00 up to age 12
- Kasteel Bewoond
- first Sunday of the month, April to September, 12:30–16:00
- Payment
- card payment possible, no booking needed
From fortress to manor castle
Huys ter Horst is first mentioned in 1326, when the Count of Guelders pledged it to Florken van der Horst. It began around 1300 as a five-sided wall of marlstone blocks with a brick tower, and grew into an H-shaped residential castle with an outer bailey and moats all around.
From 1523 it was the ancestral seat of the Van Wittenhorst family. In the nineteenth century the castle was sold for demolition and taken down stone by stone. The municipality has owned the ruin since 1961; since 2000 the Kasteel Huys ter Horst foundation has held it on a long lease, and volunteers look after its preservation.
Kasteel Bewoond
From April to September the castle opens on the first Sunday of each month, from 12:30 to 16:00. You explore the indoor and outdoor rooms at your own pace; QR codes tell you about the rooms, objects and paintings.
Volunteers play former residents: the herb woman lets you taste herbs and edible flowers, the cook stands in the medieval kitchen. Since May 2025, twenty replicas have hung there from the collection of some 210 paintings of Willem Vincent van Wittenhorst, who had the castle modernised from 1660 onwards.
Kasteel Bewoond on kasteelhuysterhorst.nl (opens in a new tab)
Above the Kasteelse Bossen
A section of the old residential tower, some ten metres high, still stands, next to a fifteen-metre steel lookout tower that has been there since the municipality's restoration in 2003. From the A73 you can see the castle rising above the Kasteelse Bossen.
The moats around the ruin have been reopened: carp and roach swim there and in summer white water lilies bloom. The Kasteellaan leading to it is an avenue of old lime trees.
Flora and fauna on kasteelhuysterhorst.nl (opens in a new tab)
Tip from reception
Walk there from the hotel: in seven minutes you are at the ruin. You can look inside during Kasteel Bewoond, on the first Sunday of the month from April to September; no booking needed. Wear sturdy shoes, as there are stairs, steps and uneven paths.
Reception team, Parkhotel Horst
Good to know
Kasteel BewoondEvery first Sunday of the month, April to September, from 12:30 to 16:00; last entry 15:30.
Admission€ 7.50 from age 13, € 3.00 up to age 12. Card payment possible, no booking needed.
GroundsStairs, steps and uneven paths: the grounds are not easy to walk everywhere.
Guided tour for groupsWith a volunteer for 10 to 30 people, 1 to 1.5 hours, to be requested via the castle's website.
Photos: Loek Tangel, RCE (CC BY-SA 4.0; also gate) via Wikimedia Commons; ticket thapanee srisawat, steps C via Unsplash.
Make a day of it
From the breakfast buffet on foot to the ruin, and back to your own wellness.
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Start the day at the breakfast buffet of Parkhotel Horst.
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A seven-minute walk from the hotel stands the ruin of a castle already mentioned in 1326.
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Back in Horst, the indoor pool, saunas and wellness lounge are waiting, free for hotel guests.
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End the day with dinner at restaurant BØFF.
Your room, wellness included
Six rooms, from the Comfort room to the Apartment. With every room you use the pool, saunas, steam room and lounge free of charge.
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Getting there
From the hotel it takes about:
Ruin of Huys ter Horst Castle, Kasteellaan, Horst
Frequently asked questions
Any other questions? Call reception: +31 77 397 6000When is Huys ter Horst Castle open?
During Kasteel Bewoond: every first Sunday of the month from April to September, from 12:30 to 16:00, last entry 15:30. For dates and other activities, see kasteelhuysterhorst.nl.
How much is admission to Huys ter Horst Castle?
€ 7.50 from age 13 and € 3.00 up to age 12. Card payment is possible and no booking is needed.
Are the grounds easy to walk?
Not everywhere. There are uneven paths, stairs and steps; the foundation does not list wheelchair access.
What is left to see of the castle?
A ruin with a section of the residential tower some ten metres high, the remains of a gate, walls and the moats, with a fifteen-metre steel lookout tower. Since May 2025, twenty replicas of paintings from the collection of Willem Vincent van Wittenhorst have hung inside.
How far is Huys ter Horst Castle from Parkhotel Horst?
About 1.1 kilometres: 7 minutes on foot, 2 minutes by bike or 3 minutes by car.
Can you take a guided tour?
Groups of 10 to 30 people can request a tour with a volunteer, 1 to 1.5 hours. During Kasteel Bewoond, volunteers tell their stories on the spot and QR codes explain more.
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Photos of the cards: B. Hulshoff (CC BY-SA 4.0); via Wikimedia Commons.
Photos: M.peeters (CC BY-SA 4.0); Paul van Galen, RCE (CC BY-SA 4.0); Loek Tangel, RCE (CC BY-SA 4.0); Kasteelbeer (CC BY-SA 3.0 nl); via Wikimedia Commons.
After Huys ter Horst Castle: pool, wellness and dinner at BØFF
A seven-minute walk from the ruin, you sleep surrounded by greenery, with your own wellness under the same roof.
