Bekensteijn castle farm - Oploo

Bekensteijn Castle Farm in Oploo, also known as Bekestein, was probably built around 1475 by the noble Van Steenhuijs family. At the time it looked like a small castle: three storeys high, surrounded by a moat and with a real drawbridge. Much changed over the years. The top floor was demolished at the end of the 19th century due to deterioration, and in 1907 the moat was filled in after a tragic accident in which a boy drowned in the nearby stream.

The farm has had many functions over the centuries. It is thought that part of the building served as a clandestine church in the 17th century, where people could secretly practise their faith during periods of religious tension. The building probably also functioned as a steward's house. There is still a small window in the wall where farmers would come to pay their rent. The building thus played a role in the social and economic life of the village.

After years of decline, a turnaround came around 1980. The Janssen family from Delft bought the neglected farm and restored it with much love and attention to the original style. The result was impressive: in 1995 Bekensteijn was recognised as a municipal monument, and in 2003 it was even recognised as a national monument. This places it in the list of the Matthias Church, the De Korenbloem windmill and the D'n Olliemeulen watermill, the four national monuments of Oploo.

The outbuildings, including an old barn with a stable and an attached barn that has been partially rebuilt after a fire, give the yard an authentic character. Together with the still visible traces of the old moat, the whole forms a tangible reminder of the region's rich past.