Borculo
Encyclopedia
Borculo is a former municipality
and a village in the eastern Netherlands
, in the Province of Gelderland
.
On January first 2005 the municipality Borculo merged with the municipalities of Eibergen
, Neede
and Ruurlo
into the municipality of Berkelland
.
in 1375. The city wall is demolished, but parts of the defensive moat which was also used as a trading route over the Berkel to the city's along the Berkel (such as Zutphen), 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 Limburg-Bronkhorst, Joost (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 van Limburg and Bronkhorst. The ruling was imposed by troops from Zutphen, taking over the castle and city of Lichtenvoorde
in December 1615, and the castle and city of Borculo in February 1616 after short combat. Prince Bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen, tried again twice to keep Borculo under Munster's authority, but without success. Thereafter, Borculo definitely 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
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.
Today, Borculo is probably known best for the tornado
that destroyed much of the village on 10 August 1925. Tornadoes that are this disastrous are very rare in the Netherlands. The Queen of the Netherlands
is still Lady of Borculo.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and a village in the eastern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, in the Province of Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
.
On January first 2005 the municipality Borculo merged with the municipalities of Eibergen
Eibergen
Eibergen is a former municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands in an area called Achterhoek. The administrative cooperation of about 20 municipalities in this region, is called Regio Achterhoek....
, Neede
Neede
Neede is a former municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.On 1 January 2005 the municipality of Neede merged with the municipalities of Eibergen, Borculo and Ruurlo into the municipality of Berkelland.- Population centres :...
and Ruurlo
Ruurlo
Ruurlo is a former municipality and a town in the eastern part of the Netherlands in the province of Gelderland. It has a population of 8,676 in 2004....
into the municipality of Berkelland
Berkelland
Berkelland is a municipality in the Netherlands province of Gelderland. It was created on 1 January 2005 from the merger of the former municipalities of Borculo, Eibergen, Neede, and Ruurlo...
.
The city of Borculo
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 the Hof van Borculo was built. A defensive wall surrounding the village was constructed in 1348. The village received city rightsCity rights in the Netherlands
City rights are a medieval phenomenon in the history of the Low Countries. A liegelord, usually a count, duke or similar member of high nobility, granted a settlement he owned certain town privileges that settlements without city rights did not have....
in 1375. The city wall is demolished, but parts of the defensive moat which was also used as a trading route over the Berkel to the city's along the Berkel (such as Zutphen), 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 Limburg-Bronkhorst, Joost (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 van Limburg and Bronkhorst. The ruling was imposed by troops from Zutphen, taking over the castle and city of Lichtenvoorde
Lichtenvoorde
Lichtenvoorde is a town in the Netherlands, in the municipality of Oost Gelre.Until 1 January 2005, Lichtenvoorde was an independent municipality. It includes also four small villages: Lievelde, Zieuwent, Vragender and Harreveld. The number of inhabitants in this municipality is about 20,000.The...
in December 1615, and the castle and city of Borculo in February 1616 after short combat. Prince Bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen, tried again twice to keep Borculo under Munster's authority, but without success. Thereafter, Borculo definitely 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
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 residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
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.
Today, Borculo is probably known best for the tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, 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. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
that destroyed much of the village on 10 August 1925. Tornadoes that are this disastrous are very rare in the Netherlands. The Queen of the Netherlands
Monarchy of the Netherlands
The Netherlands has been an independent monarchy since 16 March 1815, and has been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau since.-Constitutional role and position of the monarch:...
is still Lady of Borculo.