The only hilltop castle in the Netherlands, founded c.1115 by Gosewijn I. Secret passages and a dungeon containing 14th-century Templar carvings, including four-dot crosses and symbols matching those found in Nova Scotia.
About This Site
Valkenburg Castle is the only hilltop castle in the Netherlands, founded around 1115 by Gosewijn I, Lord of Valkenburg, on a limestone prominence overlooking the Geul Valley in the province of Limburg. The castle was besieged and partially destroyed multiple times over the centuries, with the final demolition ordered by the States-General of the Dutch Republic in 1672. Today the ruins include a keep, defensive walls, and an extensive network of underground passages carved through the limestone, including dungeons where prisoners were held during the medieval period. Among those held captive were members of the Knights Templar following the suppression of the order in the early 14th century.
Connection to Oak Island
In Season 11, Rick Lagina, Doug Crowell, and members of the team visited the castle ruins during their European research trip. Corjan Mol and cultural historian Jacquo Silvertant showed the group 14th-century carvings in the dungeon where Templars were once imprisoned. Among the markings were four-dot crosses and a goose paw symbol matching one previously found in Liverpool, Nova Scotia. Corjan identified what he described as a Viking Sail, a symbol resembling sails made from horizontal strips of cloth on Norse vessels. The presence of both Templar and Norse-associated symbols carved by prisoners in the same dungeon suggested a crossover between the two traditions, supporting the theory that Templar knowledge of Atlantic navigation may have drawn on earlier Viking seafaring routes to the New World.
Fieldwork Notes
Visited during Season 11 by Rick Lagina, Doug Crowell, and team members, guided by Corjan Mol and cultural historian Jacquo Silvertant. The team examined 14th-century Templar prisoner carvings in the dungeon, documenting four-dot crosses, a goose paw symbol matching Liverpool Nova Scotia, and a Viking Sail motif.
