Jansgeleen Castle

Jansgeleen Castle is a castle ruin near the Geleen river, with remaining structures including a water mill building, a 16th-century forecourt, and a brewery building from 1665. The surviving structures show what remains of this once-important estate complex.

The castle was built around 1300 as House Spaubeek near the Geleen river and served as the first seat of the County of Geleen from the 16th century. This made it an important administrative center for the region.

The name comes from Lord Jansgelene, after Jan Rode van Opsinnich, but later shifted to Sint Jansgeleen through a misunderstanding that linked it to Saint John the Baptist. This shows how place names transform over time through local interpretations and storytelling.

The ruins are located in Spaubeek, part of Beek municipality in Limburg province, and are accessible to view from outside. Keep in mind that the site is a protected monument and the remaining structures are fairly limited.

Mining activity from the nearby Maurits mine in the 1920s caused extensive damage to the structure and led to its eventual demolition in the 1930s. This often-overlooked detail shows how industrial growth sometimes destroyed historical sites.