Brüggen The hospitable community in the Schwalm-Nette Nature Park

A Community with an Eventful History

Brüggen was important enough that Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy took Brüggen fortress and castle in 1473 in his efforts to control the Maas trade. The castle was owned by Dukes of Jülich for more than three centuries until the year 1794.

Brüggen Castle – Then and Now

In 1804, the French occupying forces sold this state-owned castle to a private citizen. Subsequently three-quarters of the castle, which originally had four towers, along with the mighty fortress fell victim to demolition and the reuse of building materials. The hunting and natural history museum found their home in the castle hall and keep in 1979. Since May of the year 2000, the castle also houses the Brüggen tourist information centre along with a nature park information centre since September 2002.

Historical Buildings on the Kreuzherrenplatz

Constructed in 1479 and rebuilt in the baroque style in 1751 following a fire, the Kreuzherrenkloster (monastery, now the town hall) functioned as the moral, theological and philosophical education centre for new members to the religious order from all over the Maas province between 1630 and 1794. The present-day St. Nicholas Church contains a valuable organ built by Johann Titz.

Traces of History in Bracht

First mentioned as “Braht” in a 1116 document from the Glabach Benedictine monastery, Bracht was settled in the time of the Celts. Under the Carolingians, the region was known as Mülgau so that Bracht was also called “Mühlbracht”. In 1317, Bracht and the “Honschaften” (an early farmer authority group) of Alst, Angenthoer, Boerholz, Heide, Heidhausen, Stevensend and Haus Schleveringhoven were part of the Brüggen administrative area, which was the northernmost in the Jülich – Berg duchy.

The new canton of Bracht came into being during the French occupation in 1798 and the entire region went to France as part of the département de la Roer in 1801. Brüggen and Bracht were assigned to the new Kempen administrative district under Prussian authority after 1815. Brüggen and Bracht combined into a single administrative unit between 1879 and 1919. This was reinstated in the course of municipal reorganisation in 1970.

The clay industry with its roofing tile works and pipe mills defined the region from the year 1890. The first roofing tile plant in Bracht was founded by Stephan Laumans and his brothers in 1896. Ten more plants, some of which changed hands quickly, following shortly thereafter. 100 million tiles a year were produced here during peak times and every sixth roofing tile between Munich and Flensburg comes from the Brüggen region.

Hendrick Goltzius, who later became famous as a painter and engraver, was born in Bracht in the year 1558. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Bracht, first mentioned in 1484, and the Bracht Evangelical Church erected in 1699 are well worth a visit.

Born – Village by the Lake

Brüggen also includes the district of Born. Born took gold in the 2006 “Our Village has a Future” contest in North Rhine-Westphalia. The community earned bronze in the national competition in 2007.

A chapel in Born is mentioned in a 1136 document from the “Saint Pantaleon” Benedictine abbey in Cologne The Born catholic parish church of Saint Peter stands in its place today.

Born also had a castle (Berfes). Traces of it were found in the vicinity of Born Lake. The lake was created by the removal of peat from the 16th through 18th century.

The Born mill was first mentioned in 1412 and served as a grain mill, oil mill, fulling mill and tan mill. Milling ceased in 1960 and the mill was converted into a hotel and restaurant.