The motruïne

Just like the entrenchment, the mot tower terp tower was part of the defence system. On an artifcially built hill (terp or motte), surrounded by a moat, a defence tower was built. Via a small bridge, people could retreat into the mot tower.

The mot tower in Waterschei probably dates from the 14th century, or the beginning of the 15th.
Originally, the castle hill was surrounded by swamps on three sides. Around the foot of the hill the swamp was excavated. The fourth side was made inaccessible by means of an excavated trench of almost 15 metres wide. In the middle of this moat the builders left a small island to serve as a foothold for the access bridge.

The stone foundations point to a square tower. The circumference of the building was over 26 metres and the walls were 1.20 metres thick. The tower itself must have been made of wood, but the roof was covered with slate. At the tower, the remains of an arched cellar were discovered, probably dating from the 17th century. Perhaps this added building was used as an ice cellar.

When in 1970 an archeological investigation was begun, the location was an inaccessible desert, covered with shrubs and tress. The province of Limburg bought the terrain and the site was restored under archeological supervision and developed into a tourist attraction.