Borculo is a city in the eastern

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, in the municipality of Berkelland,

Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...

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

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

, Neede, and

Ruurlo Ruurlo is a village and former municipality in the province of Gelderland in the eastern part of the Netherlands. The town has a station on the Zutphen to Winterswijk railway line, and is served by trains every half-hour in both directions. In th ...

. Other population centers in the municipality of Borculo were nearby Geesteren,

Gelselaar Gelselaar is a village in the municipality of Berkelland in the Dutch province of Gelderland. The village is known for its geese. In 2013, it became a protected village site. History It was first mentioned in 1326 as Geldersler, and either me ...

, and Haarlo.

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 30 km 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 1 ...

), 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 Bronkhorst is a village in the municipality of Bronckhorst, Gelderland, the Netherlands. Technically, it is a city (see below) and with only 157 inhabitants (2010), it is one of the smallest cities in the Netherlands (after Staverden, Eembrugge a ...

(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 (from the Middle English ''kype'') 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 c ...

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 King of The Netherlands (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Koning der Nederlanden'') is the title of the Dutch head of state. The king serves as the Head of state, head of state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which includes the constituent nations of ...

is still Lord of Borculo. Borculo is probably known best for the

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the 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, altho ...

that destroyed much of the village on 10 August 1925. Tornadoes that are this disastrous are very rare in the Netherlands.

Gallery

File:Borculo, de Onze Lieve Vrouw Tenhemelopnemingkerk GM1859wikinr162 foto3 2015-08-22 17.33.jpg, Church: de Onze Lieve Vrouw Tenhemelopnemingkerk File:Borculo, de Joriskerk RM9881 foto6 2015-08-22 17.59.jpg, Church: de Joriskerk 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