Berg van Troje, Borssele

Berg van Troje, Borssele If you don't know it's there, you might cycle right past the Berg van Troje at the edge of Borssele. Where sheep now graze, a mighty castle of the noble Van Borssele family once stood. On this strategic spot, an 11th-century motte-and-bailey castle was built: an artificial earthen mound topped with a wooden defensive tower. In the 13th century, the wooden structure was replaced by a stone keep. The fortified residential tower stood on the mound, encircled by a ring wall and moats, connected to a lower outer courtyard. The Berg van Troje was the power centre of the influential Van Borsseles, who played a significant role in Holland and Zeeland. There may also once have been an orchard here — fruit in the Middle Ages represented not just food, but wealth and status. During the storm floods of 1530 and 1532, large parts of the castle and the nearby village of Monster were swallowed by the waves. The mound survived, and today stands as a quiet reminder of a world that has vanished.