Moments in Belgium, Part Two
I love Belgium for its beautiful villages,
lush green nature, and the stony architecture of the houses. When driving
through the country, you come across many castles. I had read somewhere that
Belgium has about 3000 castles. The medieval castles, each with its unique
features, are so well-maintained, and most are open to the public, allowing you
to marvel at them from the outside or enjoy the gardens on the premises. What surprised
me is that many are still owned by families and members of noble families even occupying some. These castles, each with its
own fascinating history and architectural style, are not just beautiful
structures but a testament to the preservation of history and a connection to
the past, a treasure trove waiting to be explored.
Cleydael Castle
Cleydael, located in
Aarstelaar, is a castle in the municipality of Antwerp. There’s a golf club on
its premises, which you can freely enter and walk to the building. Although you
cannot visit the castle, you can park across the street and walk to the castle
to admire it. It has marvelous towers and a moat surrounding it. The castle
looks very well-maintained. We used a drone to get a bird’s-eye view of the
beautiful courtyard and its glass roof.
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Wissekerke Castle
Personally, my second (or maybe the third, it is so hard to pick) favorite castle we visited. The village of Bazel is home to the castle and surprises with its charming streets, the historical center, and excellent food. It was straightforward to access as you could park at the center near Sint-Petruskerk (where you could find a charming Michelin-starred restaurant, Hofke van Bazel) and then walk to the castle’s premises for a few minutes. It is a beautiful short walk with many excellent small restaurants with tasty food. Hire, I had the best sweet flammkuchen (Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember the restaurant’s name).
When you walk to the castle through the park and finally spot it between the branches of the trees, it is such a marvelous, fairytale-like image. The enchanting beauty of the castle's surroundings captivates you, compelling you to pause and take it all in. When we visited, it was under construction/renovation, so we could not get a tour, but we could access the park for free and admire it from the stream shore. You could walk over the suspension bridge on the park's east side; this is one of the oldest surviving iron suspension bridges in Europe. The part of the park we were in was pretty wild and beautiful, and we were utterly undisturbed and could enjoy the perfect view of the castle in peace.
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Poeke Castle
The next castle we visited was the Poeke Castle, near
the city of Poeke in the municipality of Aalte. The castle is the city’s
property and is not open to the public. It is a beautiful castle with baroque
architecture surrounded by water. There is a forest park surrounding it that
you can access for free. You could meet joggers and people walking their dogs
enjoying the premises. In front of the castle is a small garden where you can
sit and marvel at the castle. We did not visit the castle, because you have to
book a guided tour. The castle is easily accessible. We parked in the
Poekedorpstraat in the city of Poeke and walked to the castle.
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Ooidonk Castle
The next stop, just a 20-minute drive from Poeke and a
30-minute drive from Gent, was the Ooidonk castle. This castle is residential
and can only be visited with a guided tour. Since the residents were home when
we visited, no tours took place. However, you can still see the gardens;
entrance is not free. If I had to choose only one castle to see, it would be
the Ooidonk castle. It is a beautiful, moated castle with a flamboyant Renaissance
architectural style. It stands out with its many towers and the purple window
treatments. This is a residential castle, and the
gardens and the building are well cared for. Although it is a large castle, it
still feels cozy and welcoming. You feel like you are visiting someone's home
and not just a historical building. You can access it through a bridge
surrounded by a moat. The internal courtyard is open so that you can see it
from the back side of the castle. We walked through the garden and sat under a
tree to enjoy the castle. It was slightly raining, but it was still a beautiful
sight to see. You can combine a visit to Ooidung with a tour to Gent since it
is very close by.
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Dendermonde
As we planned to visit Ghent and Antwerp, we stayed in
the beautiful city of Dendermonde. I would recommend it if you planned to visit
the towns of Antwerp, Ghent, and Brussels, as Dendermonde is ideally located in
between. It's just half an hour's drive from Ghent and an hour's drive from
Antwerp and Brussels. Dendermonde is a charming small city with beautiful
architecture, and the river Dender flows through it. If you want to visit the
city, it has a lovely market square with the town hall and some excellent pubs
and restaurants, or you can walk along the river promenade.
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Bornem Castle
We
drove 30 minutes from Dendermonde to our next destination, the Bornem Castle or
Kasteel de Marnix de Sainte Aldegonde. I had heard much about this castle and
seen some pictures, so I wanted to see it in person. However, getting to the
castle was a bit complicated. We used Google Maps to navigate to the
destination but had trouble finding an entrance to the park and a place to park
our car. We eventually stopped at the Parking Ziekenhuis - AZ Rivierenland
campus Bornem. We tried to enter the park from there, but the street entrance
was closed. So we drove around to find another entrance and finally found one
open on Kasteelstraat Street on the park's south side. We parked the car on the
side of the road and walked into the park, hoping to glimpse the castle.
Unfortunately, the castle wasn't visible from the park, and the street leading
to the main entrance was closed with a sign indicating private property.
We
learned that the castle could only be visited by appointment and through a
guided tour. Since we hadn't booked a tour and it started to rain, we decided
to try our luck on the other side of the river. The Bornem Castle is located on
the riverside of the Olde Schelde, and you can see the building from the
Binnendistraat. We followed the Binnendistraat, which led through a neighborhood
with charming houses by the riverside. Thanks to Google Maps, we found a spot
directly across from the castle where we could glimpse the building. We even
used a drone to take a closer look, and I'm still working on editing the drone
video. With its picturesque towers standing by the riverside, the castle was
indeed a sight to behold, and it made an effort to see it worthwhile. It left
me wondering if it would be even more stunning from the inside.
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Castle
of Vêves
The Castle of Vêves, located in the province of Namur,
is worth mentioning. Although privately owned, the castle is open to the public
for visits. A parking lot on the castle grounds makes parking and exploring the
premises convenient. Visiting the castle was an exciting experience due to its
history as a residential castle and the renovations made to its interior. The
rooms were adorned with wood paneling and featured heating and numerous family
photos and memorabilia, giving visitors a sense of the castle’s rich history
and familial atmosphere. So you felt like you were walking through a family
home, a family castle. The building resembles a defensive fortress, creating a
fun contrast to the cozy feeling inside.
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