“Legends of ghosts and smugglers, but also true stories such as summary execution in World War II.” Amateur historian Ton Lensvelt from Dussen is currently working on a book with remarkable stories about medieval Dussen Castle. “These are dramatic, sometimes naughty and also touching stories,” he says.
The books that amateur historian Ton Lensvelt from Dussen has been publishing independently for years and that are only sold at the local supermarket are extremely popular in Dussen. “I dare to say that in every house at least one part of Kleine histories van Dussen is on the bookshelf,” says Lensvelt. “And probably more than one book too.”
“People like to read the books because it is about the history of their own environment. They are also easy to read because they are individual stories, often with old photos of their own street or neighborhood.”
Lensvelt does not get rich from his popular writing. “The booklets are sold at cost.” Including historical research, writing and publishing one volume takes about a year.
“A cobblestone in the castle wall recalls a child who fell from the window and drowned.”
Lensvelt has been working on his sixth book about the history of Castle Dussen for months. “In terms of content, it’s a trade-off between fantasy and reality. For example, there is an age-old folktale about the underground passages. There are said to be three, who walk from the castle under the moat, including towards a village nearby. According to a legend, there was also a murder with a poisoned apple.”
There is also room in his castle book for true stories, stories that often require lengthy research. “Around 1850, for example, a child fell from the window of the castle and drowned in the moat. As a reminder of that dramatic event, a cobblestone was built into the castle wall. That cup is still there.”
“The commander put that cross on himself as a kind of penance.”
A war crime the author calls the summary execution of a German soldier in the castle by his commander. “A cross, still visible, has been scratched into a tile on the floor where the soldier received the bullet. The commander put that cross on himself as a kind of penance.”
“It’s not all doom and gloom in the book,” emphasizes the amateur historian. “Of course there have also been parties in the castle, love stories and weddings. Of course ghosts also wandered around. And the swans that swim around in the moat are not swans, but warriors who had to defend the castle against the Spaniards in the Eighty Years’ War.”
“If the walls could speak”, Lensvelt concludes, “they would tell many stories. Made-up and true stories.” The most famous story about Dussen Castle is the story about Rolina Suringar. This last resident was guarded at night by men from the village. In 1953 Anton Coolen wrote the book ‘The woman with the six sleepers’ about her.
Whit Monday, June 6, Castle Dussen is open in the context of the Rural Day of the Castle.