Medieval castles in Belgium
Humbeek Castle
Humbeek Castle oldest parts date from the 15th and 16th centuries (origins date back to the 14th century). It was badly damaged in the war in late 1500s and restored in the 1600s. The current appearance dates from the 19th century. Humbeek castle is privately owned.
Founded: 15th century |
Location:
Humbeek, Belgium
Reuland Castle
Reuland Castle in Burg-Reuland, near the border of Germany, was probably built after 1148 by the von Reuland nobles. The castle was sold in 1322 to Count John the Blind and the King of Bohemia. On May 24, 1384, King Wenzel of Luxembourg designated Edmund von Engelsdorf the Secretary of the Treasury of Luxembourg, and donated the Castle and the Reuland Domain to him. The castle"s origins can be traced to th ...
Founded: 1148 |
Location:
Burg-Reuland, Belgium
Horst Castle
The area in Sint-Pieters-Rode was in the Middle Ages strategically located near Louvain, which until the mid-14th century was the largest and most important city of the Duchy of Brabant. In the 13th century the Horst family built a farm, which was fortitied as a moated castle in the the late 1300s by knight Pynnock. The castle was destroyed during the uprising of 1488-1489 against Maximilian of Austria. The castle was re ...
Founded: 14th century |
Location:
Sint-Pieters-Rode, Belgium
Gaasbeek Castle
Gaasbeek Castle, today a national museum, was erected around 1240 to defend the Duchy of Brabant against the County of Flanders. The castle was destroyed however by Brussels city troops in revenge for the assassination of Everard t'Serclaes, which was commanded by the Lord of Gaasbeek. At the beginning of the 16th century the Horne family constructed a brick castle on the ruins of the medieval fortress. In 1565 Lamoral, ...
Founded: c. 1240 |
Location:
Lennik, Belgium
Ooidonk Castle
Ooidonk Castle is the residence of the current Count t"Kint de Roodenbeke. A fortress was first built on the site of the present castle in 1230, intended to defend the city of Ghent and to fortify the river Leie. This fortress was owned by Nikolaas van Hoendunc, lord of Nevele. After it was destroyed by Louis de Male, count of Flanders, Jean de Fosseux rebuilt and enlarged the fortress from 1381 onwards, adding moat ...
Founded: 1579 |
Location:
Deinze, Belgium
Couwelaar Castle
Couwelaar Castle, also known as De Drie Torekens (The Three Turrets) is L-shaped and consists of a main building with wings, as well as several outbuildings including a coach house. The main building is characterized by two round towers at the front and a built-in, square tower at the rear. Over the centuries, the castle has been extensively altered and restored several times and has stylistic elements of the Neo-Renaissa ...
Founded: 14th century |
Location:
Antwerp, Belgium
Renesse Castle
Willem van Berchem built the first Renesse Castle at Malle between 1431 and 1464. Nothing remains of this original castle, and the only remaining visible vestiges are the donjon which now is the articulation point of the castle and the so-called tournament beam which is now placed above the fireplace in the knight room. In 1459 his daughter Elisabeth married Wouter van Hamal, who thereby inherited the Oostmalle domain, an ...
Founded: 1431/1545 |
Location:
Malle, Belgium
Groot-Bijgaarden Castle
Groot-Bijgaarden Castle is 12th-century castle in Groot-Bijgaarden in the municipality of Dilbeek, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The castle was built for Almaric Bigard, the first lord of Bigard. The castle is surrounded by a wide moat spanned by a bridge with five arches, leading to the drawbridge. The central part of the gatehouse dates from the 14th century. A four-storey tower (built 1347), 30 metres high, is by the side ...
Founded: 12th century |
Location:
Dilbeek, Belgium
Geeraard de Duivelsteen
Geeraard de Duivelsteen is a Gothic building in Ghent, Belgium. It served as defense of the Portus Ganda, the city's port. The building was built in the 13th century and was named after the knight Geeraard Vilain (1210-1270), second son of the fifteenth viscount of Gent, Zeger III of Ghent. Vilain's nickname was Geeraard de Duivel ('Geerard the Devil'), which was based on his dark complexion and hair color. In the 14th c ...
Founded: 13th century |
Location:
Ghent, Belgium
Bouchout Castle
Bouchout Castle is located in the Flemish town of Meise. In the 12th century, this territory of the young Duchy of Brabant was strategically positioned between the County of Flanders and the Berthout family, lords of Grimbergen. Most likely, the first fortification was built by Wouter van Craaynem at the end of the Grimbergen Wars (1150–1170). At about 1300, the Donjon tower of Bouchout Castle was erected by Daniel ...
Founded: c. 1300 |
Location:
Meise, Belgium
Franchimont Castle
Franchimont Castle sits at the western end of a small hill overlooking the village of Franchimont. It is thought to have originally been built in the 11th century, as a stronghold of the Principality of Liège. The original building was extended several times during the Middle Ages, once after a fire in 1387. In 1487 the castle was besieged, and around the same period the La Marck family took ownership of it. In the e ...
Founded: 11th century |
Location:
Theux, Belgium
Elewijt Castle
Elewijt Castle originates from the 11th century when there was a wooden fortification. The stone castle was erected around 1300. The castle is also known as Rubenskasteel because it was owned by Peter Paul Rubens from 1635 to his death in 1640, and features in some of his paintings. In 1792 the castle was converted into a state prison. The castle is now privately owned and not open to the public.
Founded: c. 1300 |
Location:
Elewijt, Belgium
Leefdaal Castle
Leefdaal castle was mentioned first in the 12th century, but the present appearance dates from the late Middle Ages and 17th century. The castle is not open to the public.
Founded: 15th century |
Location:
Bertem, Belgium
Reinhardstein Castle
Reinhardstein Castle is located in valley of the Warche, in the village of Ovifat in the municipality of Waimes (Weismes). It was built in 1354 for Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, while still Count, by his vassal Reinhard of Weismes. In 1550 following the marriage of Anne Naussau to Guillaume of Metternich, Reinhardstein became the property of this important Rhineland family, until the French Revolution. Abandoned, it f ...
Founded: 1354 |
Location:
Waimes, Belgium
Mirwart Castle
Mirwart Castle is built on a rock rising above the Valley of the Lomme. The oldest parts of the castle date back to the 11th century. It was a stronghold belonging to the duchy of Lorraine. The lords of Mirwart had many bloody conflicts with other feudal lords of the region, such as the lords of Bouillon and Orchimont. The lords of Mirwart came into conflict with the monks of the powerful Saint-Hubert Abbey, suppo ...
Founded: 11th century |
Location:
Saint-Hubert, Belgium
Vêves Castle
The Castle of Vêves, close to the village of Celles, is an exceptional heritage site due to the pristine state of preservation of and one of Belgiums the most remarkable examples of late mediaeval military architecture. According to tradition, the site has been occupied by castles since the time of Pippin of Herstal (7th century). In the later Middle Ages, the area fell under control of the Beaufort family, which ov ...
Founded: 1410 |
Location:
Houyet, Belgium
Ham-sur-Heure Castle
Ham-sur-Heure Castle was first mentioned in the 13th century when it passed, through marriage, to the Condé family. In the 15th century the castle was owned by the d'Enghien family. In 1487, when the last family member died without heirs, the castle went to the De Merode family. In 1540 the castle was visited by Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. Around this time the castle was probably enlarged and strengthened. In 16 ...
Founded: 13th century |
Location:
Ham-sur-Heure-Nalinnes, Belgium
Rameyen Castle
The first known owner of Rameyen castle in Gestel was Jan II Berthout who lived in the castle in 1303. The oldest part of the castle is the square keep. This heavy tower dates back to the 13th century. The keep was fitted with cannon holes in the 16th century. A beautiful castle was built around the keep by Van Immerseele and de Cock families. Boudewijn de Cock sold the castle in 1643 to Nicolaas Rubens, the second son o ...
Founded: 13th century |
Location:
Gestel, Belgium
Tavigny Castle
Tavigny Castle dates to th late Middle Ages, and it may have been only a refuge tower that is now the central part of the castle. Its walls are long 10 meters, thick 2 meters and they had plenty of arrow slits. The lordship of Tavigny belonged at first to a family who wore already its name, but in 1360, it was already owned by the Ouren family, a powerful Middle-age family from the dutchy of Luxembourg. The central tower ...
Founded: 11th century |
Location:
Houffalize, Belgium
Rupelmonde Castle Ruins
Rupelmonde Castle was built by the Counts of Flanders in the 12th century directly opposite the mouth of the river Rupel into the Scheldt river to defend these rivers. It was a large fortress with 17 towers circled by a moat. From this castle toll was levied from passing ships. Later on the castle was also used as a state prison. This caused the castle to play a important role in the history of the region. In 1678, when ...
Founded: 12th century |
Location:
Rupelmonde, Belgium