Top 17 Lakes around Lichtervelde

The castle and its surroundings are currently being restored. It already looks great, and in the future it will be fabulous. There is also a very nice little restaurant and a free toilet there.

Nowadays the castle is a luxury hotel/restaurant and conference centre (Restaurant realised in 1990 and hotel built in 1996 by the then organisers of the Rock Torhout festival). On the other side of the Torhout - Oostende road lies the domain of the Wijnendale castle.

The history of 'Domein d' Aertrycke' begins in 1865 when August de Maere, the spiritual father of the port of Zeebrugge, acquired 98 ha of the 'Verloren Kost' domain. In 1869 he had the now centrally located neo-Gothic castle built to a design by the Antwerp architect Joseph Schadde. In 1897 August de Maere, who had in the meantime been elevated to the nobility, was given permission to add d'Aertrycke to his name. With the exception of a short period after the First World War, the domain remained the property of the family. Xavier de Maere, the last owner of the castle, became known as second-in-command of the Belgian South Pole Expedition 1958-1959. After the death of his mother, who was the last of the family to live in the castle, he concluded an agreement with the West Flemish provincial government for the partial opening of the castle domain to the general public. In 2012, the province acquired full ownership and Domein d'Aertrycke became a fully-fledged provincial domain.

The castle De Maere d'Aertrycke is a castle in the Belgian city of Torhout. The neo-Gothic castle was built from 1868 to 1871 by order of August de Maere, the castle is still popularly called De Maeres castle. It is located between the center of Torhout, Wijnendale and Aartrijke. The castle is located in a romantic garden with a large pond, meadows and forests. The domain has a great natural value. Roe deer, Western European hedgehog and the European red squirrel are the mammals that live there. Birds are richly represented with the tufted duck, great spotted woodpecker, moorhen, coot, grebe, jackdaw, nuthatch, tree creeper, finch, blue tit and great tit. There are also amphibians: the brown frog and the common toad.

In July 2005, Meulebeke suffered major flooding (including the entire domain of the nearby sports centre being completely submerged). Six years later, the province started major water management works, of which this double pond is one of the interventions. It should provide extra water storage during heavy rainfall, but the basin should also solve a second problem: that of drought for farmers. Water is deliberately left in the basin at all times, so that farmers can tap water from a distribution point that can be connected to tankers. A total of 55,000 cubic metres (or 5,500,000 buckets) of water can be stored in the 4.5 metre deep buffer basin. In order to give the aquatic plants and fish every chance, the well must never really become empty. Source: https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/i93cib59

In 2011, a buffer basin was constructed that is divided into four basins. Three basins are located here between Koolskampstraat and Egemstraat and one a little further away, at the corner of Egemstraat-Baertstraat. The buffer basin was constructed to prevent flooding; this by temporarily holding the rainwater and then discharging it in a delayed manner into the Breemeersbeek. In addition to its water management function, the buffer basin also has a recreational and ecological function. A Finnish track of 1030 m was constructed around it, where hikers can also enjoy a beautiful piece of nature. Police regulations were drawn up to prevent nuisance. Source: https://www.pittem.be/nl/wonen/waterbeheer/bufferbekken

Colloquially known as the Maeres Castle, also called Kasteel Maere d'Aertrycke, it was built between 1868 and 1871 in the Neo-Renaissance (French) style. August Maere, the visionary behind the port of Zeebrugge, was later ennobled and was allowed to add the name d'Aertrycke to his surname. The domain remained in the hands of the family for a long time, but from 1960 part of it became the property of the province of West Flanders. Since 2012, the entire domain has been provincial property and the castle has been transformed into a hotel, restaurant and conference center.

The domain has a great natural value. Roe deer, Western European Hedgehog and European Red Squirrel are the mammals that live there. Birds are richly represented with the tufted duck, great spotted woodpecker, moorhen, coot, little grebe, jackdaw, nuthatch, treecreeper, chaffinch, blue tit and great tit. There are also amphibians: the brown frog and the common toad. Source: Wikipedia