Top 12 Castles around Zonnebeke

A miniature version of the castle to give visually impaired people a tangible image of the castle. Equipped with Braille.

very nice and quiet area

The Polderhoek is currently a forgotten piece of land near the A19 motorway, next to the Witches Monument. It is almost unthinkable, but during the war there was a beautiful park in the Polderhoek valley. The southern Polderhoek Castle stood in the middle of the park. The Polderhoek Castle, popularly known as the “Flower Castle”, was one of the most beautiful castles in the region. The castle was built around 1850, was over 30 hectares in size and had Italian architectural influences. From the beginning of the First World War, the beautiful park was occupied by the Germans. In 1914, the front ran right through it and the park was then on German territory. On 4 October 1917, British troops succeeded in taking the northeastern part of the park. However, they did not get any further and the offensive was stopped on the ridge. The entire area was shot to pieces and the Reutelbeek, which flowed through the park, formed a wide swamp. Triggered? Want to know more about the war past? Click through to https://www.toerismezonnebeke.be/nl/zien-en-doen/polderhoek-chateau-verdwenen-kasteel/

Although the fame of this place as "Peace Mill" refers to the First World War (a monument value that only acquired its current form in the summer of 2013), the history of the mill goes back to the third quarter of the 18th century. In 1766, a wooden post mill was built here. In 1879, the then owner replaced the wooden mill with the stone tower mill, supplemented a year later with a steam engine (in an outbuilding), so that milling could also take place when there was no wind. The current outbuilding dates from after WWI (1920).

The Vredesmolen (also "Old mill", "Van Couillie's mill" or "Shooted mill") is a former windmill in the Belgian village of Klerken (Houthulst). The former wooden grain and oil mill is located at the highest point of the village (43 meters) and was therefore used as a lookout post by the Germans during the First World War. During the final offensive it was captured by the Allies, but the Germans had already left the mill via an underground passage. The mill is a rare example of a mill ruin and became a protected monument on April 1, 1999. On the same date it also received its official name "Peace Mill". source: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vredesmolen

The castle was built in 1925 by order of Jacques Bruneel de la Warande, mayor of Kemmel. Previously there was a castle, which was destroyed in 1918 during the First World War. Architects were Henri Carbon and Charles Pil. After the castle served as a holiday home for a while, it was put into use as the town hall of Heuvelland in 1979. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasteel_De_Warande

to eat and walk

The first castle in Elverdinge was built around the 12th century. It originally belonged to the bastards of the counts of Flanders. Adrianus Vander Borcht received the manor in 1629. He had a castle built in Flemish Renaissance style. It was surrounded by water. This castle stood on the site where the old monastery now stands. After the Vander Borcht family, the manor came into the hands of various families. In chronological order the families: de Bever, de Lichtervelde, de Steenhuyse, de Bethune Hesdigneul, d'Ennetières d'Hust and de Laubespin. Marquis Victor d'Ennetières d'Hust (1826-1908) settled in Elverdinge in 1870. He expanded his domain by purchasing land. Thanks to him, Elverdinge became a significant municipality. He turned the park into one of the most beautiful parks. In 1870 he had a new castle built in French Renaissance style and a family crypt. He had all the streets (14 km) laid out in macadam at his expense. Because of his mildness he was called the "father of the poor". His only daughter married the Frenchman Alfred Mouchet Battefort de Laubespin in 1872. The castle burned down during the First World War, but the reconstruction of both castles began in 1925. The "new" castle was rebuilt from the existing walls. The only notable change is the absence of a torelleke and a simplified roof. The "old" castle was rebuilt in local yellow bricks with a French Mansard roof, in the Louis XV style. During the Second World War, German staff officers moved into the castle, so it had to be renovated again after 1945. The castle is still owned by the descendants of the de Laubespin family: Count Eric du Cauzé de Nazelle and his wife Isabelle de Rochechouart de Mortemart. The tree-rich park has been a free bird sanctuary since 1957 and is supervised by the Belgian nature and bird reserves. The castle cannot be visited, but it can be seen from a distance.