Poelwijk Castle was mentioned in 1275, when it was owned by the Van Poelwijck family from Gendt. The tower is all that remains of Poelwijk Castle today. It dates back to the 15th century. This tower was originally the gate tower of the castle.
In 1441 Poelwijk Castle was first mentioned as a fief from the Duke of Gelre and was inhabited by the Collart family. In 1551 the castle again came into the possession of the Van Poelwijck family through marriage. In 1598 it went to the Van Wely family. The Van Wichen family bought the castle in 1667. A Johan Maurits van de Poll, Lord of Hedel, inherited the castle in 1702.
A drawing dating back to 1731 shows that Poelwijk Castle then existed of the present tower with an extension. The castle itself had already disappeared. The former gate tower had been rebuilt into a tower house and had its entrance on the first floor. Several other owners followed; the Schmitz, Slingervoet and Breunissen families. The latter built the farm next to the tower in 1864 which caused the disappearance of the extension of the tower.
During the winter of 1944-45 the tower was damaged by fights. Shortly after The Netherlands were liberated the tower was damaged during a storm. After that a restoration followed which ended in 1960. The tower is owned by the Castles of Gelderland foundation and can only be visited on special occasions like Open Heritage Days. The farm and the land surrounding the tower are privately owned and there is a B&B.
References:Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.
The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.
These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.