HB 12 Count Hendrik van den Bergh

This life-size portrait of Count Hendrik van den Bergh was acquired by Huis Bergh a few years ago. It was painted by the then prominent painter Otto van Veen in c. 1618. The young Rubens was one of his pupils. Count Hendrik was born in the tumultuous Eighty Years War, when the Low Countries were at war against Spain. Hendrik’s parents, Count Willem the fourth van den Bergh and Maria of Nassau, William of Orange’s sister, had chosen to side with the Spanish. Count Hendrik even became generalissimo of the Spanish army in the Low Countries. Count Hendrik married twice and lived in Bergh, Ulft and Elburg. Huis Bergh was his ancestral home and it was here that he made his will. He died in Zutphen in 1638 after a coach accident. He was the last Van den Bergh count to be buried in the family vault in the church opposite the castle.

For more information on this portrait, press A For more information on Hendrik the generalissimo, press B For a song about Hendrik, press C

ABC

Press play to start the audio from the beginning

For centuries, Huis Bergh Castle was the ancestral castle of the powerful Van den Burgh counts. The castle's building history dates back to the 12th century. Jan Herman van Heek, an industrialist from Enschede, purchased the castle in 1912. He amassed a collection of late medieval artworks that are on display in the castle even today. There is also the possibility to have your (wedding)party here or stay the night in one of the luxury suits in a former defense tower.