Trouble in the Hoensbroek Castle neighborhood. This is news that does not surprise the average Heerlen resident. Violence and crime are familiar luminaries in the colony of small houses that arose more than sixty years ago a stone's throw from Hoensbroek Castle and a beautiful walking area. Although relatively quiet lately, the working-class neighborhood has been rocked by a series of serious incidents over the past twenty years. With attacks, arson, fights, looting and vandalism, the Kasteelbuurt repeatedly made the (national) news. In 1988 a house on Wingerdweg was set on fire.In the 1990s several family feuds were fought, sometimes requiring the mobilization of police forces to calm tempers. In 1997, the neighborhood faced a series of firebomb attacks. Hemp nurseries and sheds, which housed equipment to manufacture synthetic drugs, were raided. This was followed by the looting and destruction of the home of an alleged police tipster. In 2008, a dead body was found in the trunk of a car on theWingerdweg. The municipality of Heerlen tooktallless measures to improve the situation in the neighborhood. Twice, the houses of the Kasteelbuurt were renovated. Councilwoman Riet de Wit(SP,Wijken) believes that this part of Hoensbroek has improved enormously in recent years. "Substantial investments have been made by the housing foundation and the municipality. The neighborhood looks neat. There is also social progress. Therefore it is extremely annoying that this has happened now. But I maintain that there are many good people living in the Castle neighborhood."