Coevorden Castle was built on an artificial hill - a so-called motte - near a ford (a “voorde”) in the river the Kleine Vecht. This koevoorde (lit. “cow ford”) gave the city its name. In 1046, German emperor Henry III gave the county of Drenthe to the bishop of Utrecht, who appointed a viscount, a hereditary title. In 1395, Bishop Frederik van Blankenheim brought this to an end, and decreed that castle Coevorden should be the only castle in Drenthe. This is still the case today. Today Coevorden castle is a restaurant.
References:The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.
The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.
The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.
The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.