Those who think of Halloween will, on the one hand, think of pumpkins and the 'trick or treat'. On the other hand, familiar horror and ghost stories will surely be brought to mind. Now, the Netherlands has plenty of legends and ghost stories. Usually, these come together in one place, in many cases a castle or a castle. For those who are less familiar with horror stories, we have dug one up and added a Griezel Gravel route along Castle Waardenburg of made especially for Halloween! We take you into the legend of Doctor Faust and Waardenburg Castle, in the town of the same name in Gelderland. More on the castle: You can find that here! Creep out!
Waardenburg and surroundings
In brief: Waardenburg is located near the Deil interchange on the A2 motorway between Utrecht and Den Bosch. The village, situated on the river Waal, is at the extreme western tip of the province of Gelderland. Across the Waal lies Zaltbommel and a stone's throw away you will find Den Bosch (and thus the province of North Brabant). Waardenburg itself has little to offer, but thus has both Waardenburg Castle and Neerijnen House. Waardenburg Castle is where the legend plays out, of the castle dating back to 2 August 1265, when permission to build the castle was granted. Over the centuries, many families have lived there. The current castle is from the 17th century, because during the Eighty Years' War, the castle was occupied and (of course) destroyed by William of Orange and his men. The northern part of the castle was restored in 1627. The castle still has a horseshoe shape, as the southern part was demolished.
The Faust legend
Johann Faust was originally a German historical figure from the 16th century; an itinerant doctor and scholar. After his death, the rumours came and so one well-known folk legend was born. As with many such stories, it involves discontent. For instance, Faust is said to have been dissatisfied with his life and how could it be otherwise, he made a pact with the devil; Certainly at that time a more common partner in these kinds of stories. The legend is not unequivocal, as some say Faust wanted infinite knowledge, others a true love. Whether it was greed or whether it was 'too good to be true', no one knows, but eventually the Devil came to collect his debt, in the form of 'retrieving Faust's soul'. Well, stand by that. The most famous Faust legend was written by Goethe and published in 1806.
Faust and Waardenburg Castle
The legends have different narrative forms and the Dutch version places Faust in Waardenburg Castle around 1538. Doctor Faust would die in 1540. In the legend of Faust and Waardenburg Castle, Faust is an alchemist trying to find the Philosopher's Stone. The connection to the original legend is a bit far-fetched, but Faust, as an alchemist, wanted to turn metal into gold and, like friend Sywert van Lienden, 'get screaming rich'. But alas peanut butter, it didn't work out. In desperation, he turns to the devil, who is benevolent to him, but in return will come and take his soul after seven years. Faust is fine with it, signs the contract and calls the devil 'Joost' from now on, as a helper. Joost may know, that expression comes from there.
Before the wind but still not
As with the cycle route we created, Faust is initially going for the wind. Everything is running smoothly, he wins several competitions and is obviously smarter than all sorts of bright minds and clerics in the country. But yes, pride comes before a fall. When Faust starts exploiting his servant Joost, things deteriorate rapidly. But success goes to his head, and he starts exploiting Joost (the devil). Joost doesn't like that as much. He offers to tear up the contract, but Faust does not want to renounce his success. He is also still looking for the Philosopher's Stone! The seven years are almost over, and it is during his stay in Waardenburg castle that he meets his end.
End of story
Once the contract expires, after seven years, the furious devil comes to fetch Faust into his tower room in Waardenburg castle. Naturally, Faust begs for mercy, but the Devil knows no mercy. He drags Faust out, according to tradition, by his hair, into hell. To make things even more dramatic, there are flames burning around the tower, owls howling with people's voices and a bizarre amount of dogs and cats dance across the mill and the dyke. When the housekeeper hears the racket and dares to come and check the next morning, Faust is nowhere to be seen. The walls are covered in blood and a tuft of hair hangs from the bars. According to legend, no matter how much one brushes, the bloodstains in Faust's room are still visible. Making a pact with the devil is not a smart move, if this is to be the moral of the story.
Griezel Gravelroute Castle Waardenburg
Follow this route around the castle and be enchanted by its beauty, but meanwhile also fight a little battle with the elements. In twilight and bad weather, Faust's ghost is sure to haunt you!
Tips
- If you are going to ride the route at the weekend, you can have lunch at Brasserie het Stroomhuis, between Waardenburg and Neerijnen. You can visit on weekdays by appointment only.
- Should you have bike trouble, then Cycle Centre 53-11 in Zaltbommel the 'place to be' to get your bike fixed.
- Cycling along the Waal is always battling with the elements, so make sure you have the right clothes with you
