Cranendonck Castle
History of the Castle
From around 1250 to 1673, the imposing Cranendonck Castle stood here, named after the local topography (‘kraan’ = crane, ‘donk’ = hill). The outer bailey likely extended as far as the square in front of today’s white manor house. The main fortress sat on a bend in the Buulder Aa stream, providing a natural defensive barrier.
The castle was likely commissioned by Engelbert van Horne, forefather of a Van Horne branch. His son Willem I of Cranendonck was the first to be titled Lord of Cranendunc, giving the family its name. From around 1420, the high lordship of Cranendonck included the villages of Maarheeze, Soerendonk, Gastel and Budel.
The male line of the Cranendonck family died out mid-14th century. Afterwards, the lordship (later Barony) passed to the families Van Sevenborn, Van Milberg, Van Schoonvorst, Van Horne and Van Egmond. These lords seldom resided at the castle, instead appointing a steward (drossaard) who did live there.
Through Anna van Egmond, the first wife of William of Orange (‘the Silent’), Cranendonck came into the hands of the House of Orange in the mid-16th century. To this day, one of the Dutch monarch’s many titles is ‘Baron(ess) of Cranendonck’.
During the Franco-Dutch War, on 13 September 1673, the French blew up the castle. It fell into ruin and by the early 20th century, the remains had been fully cleared. The castle’s outlines have since been reconstructed based on available knowledge.
Archaeological Monument
In 1974, the castle site was added to the National List of Protected Archaeological Monuments. A 1996 excavation revealed parts of the walls and defences, including moats and ramparts. Among the many finds were a beer tankard with the coat of arms of Prince William I of Orange (dated 1597), starling pots, and a wooden crossbow from the early 16th century.
In 2009, after ground radar research, a reconstruction of the presumed castle layout was created using earthen embankments and gabions.
The Coat of Arms
As the earliest Lords of Cranendonck descended from the Van Horne family, their coat of arms was derived from it: a silver shield with three red horns, banded in silver.
In 1998, the municipality of Cranendonck was granted a coat of arms by Royal Decree, featuring a variant of the old Cranendonck arms:
“Argent, three hunting horns gules, garnished argent; the shield displayed upon an eagle sable, armed, langued, and membered gules.”
The eagle comes from the former coat of arms of Budel, which had a relationship with the city of Aachen for centuries.
In the coat of arms of Aachen, the eagle was a symbol of the ‘Holy Roman Empire’ and symbolized that Aachen was a city where kings were crowned.
Cranendonck Manor House
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Cranendonck estate passed into private ownership. The farmhouse, possibly dating back to the castle era, was demolished in 1899 and replaced by a villa. In the early 20th century, the characteristic turret was added. Today, this elegant white manor house is known as ‘Cranendonck Manor’.
In 1938, the municipality of Maarheeze purchased the estate along with its leasehold farms. The villa became the town hall in 1940, once again making Cranendonck the administrative centre for nearby villages. Today, the white manor house is mainly used as a wedding venue.