Top 20 Castles around Merelbeke

Porta Arboreti; monumental entrance gate and former dovecote belonging to and once forming access to the Ooidonk castle domain, which originates in the 14th century.

The gate also serves as a bridge over the Kalebeek stream. The north facade of the gate (facing the church) features, in addition to the date 1864, the coat of arms of the t'Kint de Roodenbeke family, who acquired the castle that year (and still own it).

Not accessible only on Heritage Day.

The Geeraard de Duivelsteen is a building in the Belgian city of Ghent. The stone played an important role in the defense of the Portus on the Reep, a trading settlement that was at the cradle of the origin of Ghent. It is a former Gothic stone (stone house of a nobleman) from the 13th century, named after knight Geeraard van Gent, nicknamed Geeraard de Duivel. He was the third son of a viscount of Ghent, Zeger III. The building became the property of the city in the 14th century. Over the centuries it fulfilled various functions: knight's residence, weapons arsenal, monastery, school, episcopal seminary, insane asylum and prison until the Rasphuis on the Coupure took over that task in 1775. In 1830 a fire station was set up there. At the end of the 19th century, the Geraard de Duivelsteen was purchased by the government to house the State Archives of Ghent. Under the leadership of Arthur Verhaegen, the building was restored between 1891 and 1908 and expanded with a new wing, which housed the reading room and the offices of the archive staff. The building remained in use as an archive until 2015. In 2016, it was purchased for 2,205,000 euros by the Ghent holding company NV Koiba. The building is being converted into a youth centre. In addition, there will be a few residential units; the former quay wall is being restored. The building has undergone so many changes since the Middle Ages that the square keep (left in the photo), which was lowered too much during the last restoration in the 19th century, is barely recognisable. However, this keep can point to a function that refers to an older past. The keep, located along the partially filled-in Scheldt and within the semi-circular moat from the 9th century that surrounded Ghent at the time, may have had a defensive function at the time.

Very occasionally an exhibition is organized here (such as that of photographer Carl De Keyzer in December 2021 to February 2022), what an exceptional opportunity to see the inside of this building with a rich history. Grab that chance!

Beautifully illuminated castle.

There used to be a hof van plaisance (country house) here, which was depicted in 1755 in the middle of a park, which even contained an amphitheater. In 1894 the castle was rebuilt according to a design by Achille Marchand. The park was laid out in the English landscape style at the end of the 19th century. A pond, an ice cellar with a pavilion above it have been built. There are also bridges, a boathouse and a cave. There are three monumental chestnut trees, including possibly the thickest chestnut tree in Belgium. The castle was built in an eclectic style and made of brick and bluestone. The hall is decorated with sgraffito. In addition to the castle, there is a staff house with stables and a coach house with horse stables. These buildings also date from 1894. (according to Wikipedia)

Over the centuries it was used as a knight's residence, armory, monastery, school and episcopal seminary. In 1623 there was a madhouse for the insane and a home for male orphans. Another part of the building was used as a prison or detention house.