Castle Doorwerth: A Wartime Echo Overlooking the Rhine

Just a few kilometers southwest of Arnhem, nestled in the quiet forests along the Lower Rhine, stands Doorwerth Castle—a medieval fortress with moats, turrets, and walls that have seen centuries of siege and silence. Easy Company never set foot in its halls, but the guns of their war thundered close enough to shake its stones.

In September 1944, as Operation Market Garden unfolded across the Netherlands, Doorwerth found itself caught in the margins of battle. Though not part of the main Allied objective, the castle was pressed into service by German forces defending the western approaches to Arnhem. 

British troops, attempting a desperate breakout from Oosterbeek, were just across the river. On September 25, the castle was pounded by Allied artillery to support this evacuation—one last gamble to rescue the remnants of the 1st Airborne Division.

Today, the castle stands restored. Its thick stone walls, painstakingly rebuilt after decades of ruin, look much as they did before the war. You can walk the ramparts, explore furnished rooms, and even see a curious tribute to its wartime past.

There’s a stillness here now, but it’s easy to imagine the tension that filled these woods in 1944. Just across the river was the site of the Battle of the Crossroads, one of Easy Company's finest moments. Just downriver was the launch point of Operation Pegasus—the covert evacuation of British troops. Doorwerth sat between these moments, damaged by shellfire and remembered in fragments.

If you visit, follow the signs from Arnhem or Oosterbeek. The castle grounds are serene and walkable, and there’s a small museum inside that once hosted an exhibition titled “The War Visits the Castle,” commemorating its wartime damage and eventual resurrection. Even if you know the castle wasn’t a Band of Brothers stop, it anchors the landscape of their story.

Doorwerth is included in our Band of Brothers Travel Guide as a contextual site—one of several locations around Arnhem that help you understand the broader canvas of Market Garden. Mapped, explained, and ready to explore.

Sometimes, it’s not just where the men fought—but what stood nearby, enduring the same storm.

Photo credits: U.S. Army Signal Corps, James Skeffington, and Unsplash