Borculo is a city in the eastern

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, in the municipality of Berkelland,

Gelderland Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...

. Borculo was an independent municipality until 2005, when it merged with

Eibergen Eibergen (Low Saxon: ''Eibarge'') is a town and former Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Gelderland in the Eastern Netherlands. It is part of the Achterhoek cultural region. The administrative cooperation of about 20 municipalitie ...

, Neede, and Ruurlo. Other population centers in the municipality of Borculo were nearby Geesteren, Gelselaar, and Haarlo. The Berkel River flows through the city center. The Borculo Castle (the "Hof"), which gave the city its name, was the seat of the Lords of Borculo.

History

Borculo began as a settlement near where, at the time, the Berkel joined a smaller stream called the Grolse Slinge. In the 12th century a castle called Hof van Borculo was built. A defensive wall surrounding the village was constructed in 1348. The village received

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

in 1375. The city wall has been demolished, but parts of the defensive moat, which was also used as a trading route over the Berkel to the cities along the Berkel (such as

Zutphen Zutphen () is a city and municipality located in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. It lies some northeast of Arnhem, on the eastern bank of the river IJssel at the point where it is joined by the Berkel. First mentioned in the 11th centur ...

), can still be found in Borculo. Borculo was then ruled by the counts of Limburg and Bronkhorst. In the long conflict (known as the "Borculo question") between the heirs of the last count of Bronkhorst (deceased in 1553 without children) and the Prince-Bishop of Munster over ownership of Borculo, the Court of Gelderland ruled on 20 December 1615 in favour of count Joost of Limburg and Bronkhorst. The ruling was imposed by troops from

, taking over the castle and city of

Lichtenvoorde Lichtenvoorde is a town in the east of the Netherlands, in the municipality of Oost Gelre. Lichtenvoorde holds a flower parade (''bloemencorso'') every September at the start of its annual festival. The parade features floats covered in flowers ...

in December 1615, and the castle and city of Borculo in February 1616 after short combat. Prince-Bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen tried twice to keep Borculo under Munster's authority, but without success. Thereafter, Borculo definitively belonged to the province of Guelders instead of Munster. In 1777 the region came into the possession of Stadtholder William V, after which the castle was demolished and rebuilt. Most of the castle was demolished in 1869–1870, but parts of the

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

still exist. These parts are hidden below the library and cultural centre, although they were visible to the public for several years. Due to wear, these parts were buried again. The

King of the Netherlands The monarchy of the Netherlands is governed by the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, country's charter and Constitution of the Netherlands, constitution, roughly a third of which explains the mechanics of succession, accession, and a ...

is still Lord of Borculo. The chapel in Borculo, well-endowed with vicariates, was elevated to a parish church in 1509 and separated from its parent parish in Geesteren. At the same time, Borculo Castle was detached from its parent parish in

and added to the new parish of Borculo. The municipality of Borculo was established in 1795 from the former city, castle, and the "schependom" (district) of Dijcke or Dijkhoek. The municipality of Geesteren was formed from the former bailiwick of Geesteren, an administrative district within the Lordship of Borculo. On January 1, 1818, the two municipalities were merged. Borculo became an independent municipality, including Geesteren, Gelselaar, Haarlo, and Leo-Stichting. In 2005, it merged with the neighboring municipalities of

, Neede, and Ruurlo to form the new municipality of Berkelland. On August 10, 1925, Borculo was struck by a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

with a diameter of one to two kilometers, causing significant destruction. This disaster, often referred to as the "Borculo Storm Disaster," is commemorated in a museum dedicated to this chapter of the city's history. Tornadoes that are this disastrous are very rare in the

Harbor

For a long time, Borculo had a

harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

, serving as a hub for trade shipping on the Berkel River. Flat-bottomed boats, known as "zompen," transported goods to and from Borculo's harbor for centuries. These boats were specially designed for the shallow waterways of the

Achterhoek The Achterhoek (; ) is a cultural region and COROP area in the Eastern Netherlands. Its name (meaning "rear-corner") is geographically appropriate because the area lies in the easternmost part of the province of Gelderland and therefore in the e ...

. Without a keel, they had minimal draft and could even navigate during low water levels. However, the harbor was filled in and built over in the 19th century. Until the early 21st century, a HEMA department store occupied the former harbor's location. In 2024, the "olde haven" (old harbor) was excavated and restored on a slightly smaller scale. It was officially reopened at the end of June 2024.

Gallery

File:Borculo, de Onze Lieve Vrouw Tenhemelopnemingkerk GM1859wikinr162 foto3 2015-08-22 17.33.jpg, Church: de Onze Lieve Vrouw Tenhemelopnemingkerk File:Berkelland-Borculo, het Kristalmuseum GM1859-wikinr6 IMG 0163 2024-03-10 15.36.jpg, Borculo, het Kristalmuseum File:Borculo, fontein bij de Burg. Bloemersstraat foto4 2015-08-22 17.45.jpg, Fountain near de Burg. Bloemersstraat File:Borculo, ophaalbrug bij de Burg. Bloemersstraat met de Joriskerk (RM9881) op de achtergrond foto13 2015-08-22 17.56.jpg, Drawbridge near de Burg. Bloemersstraat

References

External links

Official Website
{{Coord, 52, 07, N, 6, 31, E, region:NL_ype:city, display=title Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2005 Former municipalities of Gelderland Populated places in Gelderland Berkelland