In the Early Middle Ages, some landowners among the nobility managed to gain more political, economic and legal power. They called themselves ‘heer’ (lord) and their domain ‘heerlijkheid’ (seigniory). The lord lived in a castle, from where he administered and protected his territory.
Lordly rights
The seigniory largely consisted of a number of rights, such as the right to maintain order, administer justice and collect taxes. It also included hunting, fishing and milling rights. The lords were often answerable only to the king or emperor, and not to a duke or a count.
Leur
Several of this type of seigniories existed in the Land van Maas en Waal region. Leur is one of the few that have retained the character of a country estate. In the Middle Ages, Leur belonged to the archbishopric of Cologne. In 1311, Leur came into the possession of Cistercian monks, who cultivated the rugged land and made it suitable for agriculture. At the end of the 18th century, an estate was laid out with a park landscaped in the Romantic style. The big, stately avenues of beautiful oaks and beech trees make a striking impression.
Manor
In the middle of this wooded park, we find not a castle but an austere, stately manor in the classical style of the 18th century. The estate covers almost 50 hectares and is still owned by an aristocratic family. A short distance away is the village of Leur, with its beautiful church dating from the 13th /14th century. It has some exceptional original murals from the 15th/16th century.
Motte
Next to the church is a mysterious hill. It is probably a motte, an artificial hill on which a wooden keep once stood. The motte was possibly built in the 11th century on the orders of the archbishop of Cologne. Later, the hill was used as a refuge for the population and cattle in times flood.
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