History of the inhabitants

Oswald van den Bergh was appointed Count by Emperor Frederick III in 1486, making him the first Count of Bergh. He ruled during a turbulent period in which the struggle between the Burgundians, the Habsburgs, and the Duchy of Gelre strongly influenced the region.

Unlike his father, Willem the Peaceful, Oswald himself became directly involved in this power struggle. He switched sides several times, aligning alternately with the Burgundians, the Habsburgs, and later with Duke Charles of Gelre. This shifting loyalty was not appreciated and led to a substantial fine from the Duke.

Despite the political unrest, Oswald continued to expand the Van den Bergh family's possessions, including the Lordship of Homoet in the Betuwe and half of the Lordship of Wisch near the town of Terborg. He also left his mark in 's-Heerenberg: the church received a bell tower with three bells, cast by Geert van Wou in 1496. The tower has disappeared, but the bells still hang in the Pancratius Church.

Count Willem IV van den Bergh was orphaned at the age of eight. He spent a large part of his youth in Leuven and Brussels, where he met Willem van Oranje.

In 1556, he married Maria van Nassau, the sister of Willem van Oranje. The idea for this union may have originated during his time in Brussels. The marriage proved fruitful: sixteen children were born, eight daughters and eight sons.

During the Eighty Years' War, Willem IV played an important role. In the early years, he supported his brother-in-law William van Oranje. In 1572, he led an army through the Netherlands on the orders of Oranje, capturing various cities along the IJssel. Ultimately the campaign failed, and the cities quickly fell back into Spanish hands.

In 1581, Willem became Stadtholder of Gelre. At the same time, he also sought contact with the Spanish governor. When this was discovered, he and Maria were arrested. In 1584, the couple was released following the intervention of Willem van Oranje.

Afterwards, they departed for Ulft Castle. There, Willem openly sided with the Spanish, and his eldest sons entered Spanish service. Willem IV died two years later in 1586. He was only 48 years old.

Hendrik van den Bergh was one of the sixteen children of Willem and Maria of Nassau. He was born in Bremen, where his parents were living in exile. Like his older brothers, he joined the Spanish army.

The Spanish king appointed him commander of Groenlo fortress and, in 1618, governor of Spanish Gelre. Hendrik became an experienced military commander and later even became commander-in-chief of the Spanish forces in the Netherlands.

The loss of ’s-Hertogenbosch in 1629 was a severe blow to his reputation. Malicious tongues even spoke of treason. This led him to seek contact with his cousin Frederik Hendrik, and in 1632 he defected to the Dutch side.

He died as a result of a carriage accident and was the last person to be interred in the family crypt in 's-Heerenberg.

Maria Elisabeth Clara van den Bergh was the only child of Herman van den Bergh, the eldest son of Count Willem IV van den Bergh and Maria van Nassau, and Maria Mancia van Wittem, Marchioness of Bergen op Zoom. Her father died when she was not quite a year old. Thus, Maria Elisabeth became Countess of Bergh at a young age. Her uncle Hendrik van den Bergh became one of her guardians. Through her mother, she also inherited the title of Marchioness of Bergen op Zoom.

Maria Elisabeth later married her cousin Albert van den Bergh. Her life was marked by much loss: she died young following complications from a miscarriage. She already suffered four previous miscarriages. 

After her death, a fierce battle over the inheritance arose between Hendrik and Albert. Hendrik believed that, as an uncle, he was a closer blood relative than Albert as a widower. The conflict escalated to such an extent that Hendrik even had Huis Bergh Castle besieged to drive Albert away. This was the last time the castle was besieged.

In 1644, the hatchet was finally buried. Albert and Hendrik's daughter, Maria Elisabeth, reached an agreement. Albert was awarded Huis Bergh, while Maria Elisabeth became Marchioness of Bergen op Zoom.

Johan Baptist van Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen became Count of Bergh in 1737 and later earned the nickname "the Mad Count" due to his unpredictable and violent behavior. For instance, one night he allegedly got into bed next to his wife in full armour and with loaded pistols. She immediately fled the house.

Thereafter his behavior deteriorated further. During the period the family stayed in Boxmeer after the great fire of 1735, he is said to have, among other things, stabbed a merchant with a sword and shot a roofer off the roof. This happened after he asked a friend: “Do you want to see that fellow roll?”

Due to the seriousness of the situation, the family intervened. In 1757, Johan Baptist was imprisoned by his own family at Haigerloch Castle in Germany. He died there on May 15, 1781.

In 1912, Jan Herman van Heek, an industrialist from Enschede, purchased Huis Bergh. For 495,000 guilders, he bought the castle from the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen family, including forests, lands, and the archive. He had the castle restored and housed his art collection in the building. He also acquired more monuments. For instance, in 1929, he saved the Zeddam Tower Mill from demolition by purchasing it.

In 1939, a fire broke out in the castle's attic, causing the main castle to burn down completely. Residents of 's-Heerenberg came to the rescue and managed to save a large part of the art collection. Van Heek immediately decided to rebuild and established a foundation in 1946 to preserve the castle, collection, and archive for the future.

He also dedicated himself to monument preservation outside ’s-Heerenberg. Under his leadership, Doornenburg Castle and the Waag and Hof Gelria in Doesburg, among others, were restored.

During a walk across the estate, the small church of Hoog-Elten is visible in the distance. After its destruction in the Second World War, it could be put back into service in 1967 following a long restoration, partly thanks to his initiative.