Flow the Collection · 10 July 2026
From Hoogeerd you cycle onto the dyke, and within an hour you stand before a wall that has remained standing for almost nine centuries. No sign, no entrance fee, just a ruin in the middle of a sleepy town on the Maas, the remains of Batenburg Castle, one of the oldest castles in Gelderland.
A tower on a hill in the river
The history of Batenburg begins in the mid-12th century. The first castle was a square tufa stone tower, built on a motte: an artificial mound raised on an existing river dune. The Van Batenburg family ruled from here over their own domain, with rights to the ferry, the mill and the duck decoy in the surrounding area.
The fire that changed everything
The splendour did not last. In 1794 French troops set the castle ablaze, and what remained fell into decline over the following century — locals even used the ruin as a quarry for their own homes. Only between 1988 and 1992 was the ruin consolidated and preserved as you see it now: bare walls, a foundation, a silhouette against the sky.
The dyke route from Hoogeerd to Batenburg
From Hoogeerd in Niftrik you follow the cycle junction signs into the polder, across the dykes that cut through the Land of Maas and Waal. Along the way you pass the beautifully preserved Hernen Castle, with its gates and moats completely intact — the contrast with the Batenburg ruin further on makes the journey complete: one castle survived, the other was swallowed by time. The full route across the dykes along the castles connects both places, with the Maas never far from view.
Stay by the river
If you don't want to head back immediately after your cycle ride, round off the day at Hoogeerd itself: an overnight stay with breakfast and a three-course dinner by the river, with the ruin and the mill still fresh in your mind. If you want to explore the region more widely, you'll find our story about cycling along the Maas and Waal a wonderful complement — a full day on your bike, with Batenburg as one of the highlights along the way.
