The story begins with the history of Kasteel de Essenburgh. It was built in 1652 during the “Dutch Golden Age” – the century in the Netherlands when the country’s merchants, bankers, and far-flung trading companies were thriving around the world. They were establishing colonies in the East Indies, South Africa, and even in America, as New Amsterdam in New York.
At this time in the Netherlands there was an assembly of wealthy men known as Knights. The country’s wealth at this time allowed squire John Coolwagon to build Kasteel de Essenburgh in an attempt to earn a place within the Knighthood of the Veluwe. Belonging to this group had social and financial benefits. It also required the members to meet stringent requirements to join. However, after the castle was built, his attempted knighthood was met with rejection and he was forced to surrender his property to his creditors who then sold it to a rich nobleman.
In 1834 my great-great-grandfather Jan Jansen Essenburg became the official caretaker of the castle grounds for Baron Samuel Sandberg. He was given a converted/abandoned paper mill on the Ottemolen Inlet as his home to live in near the castle, as one of a number of paper mills located on Hierden Brook, the river that flowed through the property at that time. His 10 children were all born there from 1834 to 1852, and they lived there until they immigrated to America in 1868. There was a schoolhouse nearby where the children attended and were also taught the catechism. The family attended the Netherlands Reformed Church in the village of Hierden, where all of the children were baptized.
When the Essenburg family left for America in 1868, the Sandbergs continued owning and operating the castle and the huge estate until 1926 when family differences and financial difficulties forced them to sell the castle and surrounding farmlands. One of the later owners added an “h” to the end of the name Essenburg, and this spelling remains to this day.
In 1950 Kasteel de Essenburgh was purchased by an order of the Roman Catholic Church called the Norbertine Abbey of Berne. The order extensively restored the castle and its grounds once again. Soon it became a popular event center for weddings and retreats. The castle was then further expanded and renovated into a hotel to host the people who attended these events.