The most beautiful castles in Belgium

Belgium is a country known for its magnificent architecture. It is said that Belgium has more castles per capita than even France. Moreover, the country's smaller size, makes them easier to visit. Here are 10 of the most beautiful castles that hopefully will inspire your own travels in Belgium.

10.Bornem Castle

Bornem Castle, also known as the De Marnix de Sainte-Aldegonde Castle is a country house, formerly a castle, standing on the Oude Schelde, a tributary of the river Scheldt.
The earliest fortification on the site was of the 10th or 11th centuries and was intended to defend against the incursions of the Normans. A later castle was built on the foundations of the older building in 1587 by Spanish noblemans.
The present house was built on the same site at the end of the 19th century to plans by Hendrik Beyaert, after the remains of the 16th century building had been demolished. It remains in ownership of the house Marnix de Sainte-Aldegonde, the current resident is John de Marnix de Sainte-Aldegonde, 14th Earl of Bornem.... view details

9.Castle of Corroy-le-Chateau

Originally built between 1220 and 1230 by William of Brabant, the Castle of Corroy-le-Chateau is one of the best-preserved medieval buildings in Belgium, with gigantic round towers and a moat.
After some eight hundred years in the possession of the descendants of William of Brabant, a family dispute led to a court ordering the sale of the castle at public auction. However, the marquis managed to defeat the sale and retain ownership of his ancestral home.
The castle is open for visits.... view details

8.Rumbeke Castle

Rumbeke Castle is a historical building and one of the oldest Renaissance castles in the country.
Although most of the building was built during the Renaissance period, on the site of a far older fortress, it gained some slightly Neoclassical features after its renovation during the 18th century. During those renovations, the adjacent forest, the Sterrebos or the Star Forest, was added to its grounds. The forest was modelled after the Prater park in Vienna.... view details

7.Antoing Castle

Antoing Castle was first mentioned in the 12th century. Although the present structure of the castle dates from the 13th and 15th centuries, it was redesigned in Neo-Gothic style in the 19th century by the French architect Viollet-le-Duc.
The castle at Antoing first belonged to the powerful Melun family, then passed in 1634 to the Princes de Ligne by inheritance, who still own it.... view details

6.Crupet Castle

Crupet Castle, also known as Carondelet Castle dates back to the 11th or 12th century. It now stands in a little lake and is connected to its bailey by a stone arched bridge.
Originally, the castle was built as a squat keep with 3 floors out of limestone, equipped with battlements and a wall walk. Later in the 16th century, it was transformed into a castle farm and several elements were added: the stair tower on its corner, an extra floor with a new roof and Renaissance style windows.... view details

5.Gravensteen

The Gravensteen is a castle in Ghent originating from the Middle Ages. It was built in 1180 by count Philip of Alsace and was modeled after the crusaders castles that Philip of Alsace encountered while he participated in the second crusade.
The castle served as the seat of the Counts of Flanders until they abandoned it in the 14th century. The castle was then used as a courthouse, a prison and eventually decayed. At one time it even served as a factory.
In 1885 the city of Ghent bought the castle and started a renovation project. The newly built houses around the castle were removed and the walls and keep were restored to their original condition. The castle houses a museum with various torture devices (and a guillotine) that were ...... view details

4.Chateau de Modave

The Chateau of Modave, also known as the Chateau des Comtes de Marchin is the most prominent preserved example of High Baroque country-house architecture in the Southern Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liege.
The oldest part of the building, the donjon, was built by the lords of Modave on a strategic rock high above the valley of the river Hoyoux. In the 17th century Jean-Gaspard-Ferdinand de Marchin, a great military commander, acquired the castle and turned it from a medieval fortress into a luxury Baroque residence.
The castle is open for visitors from April until October and it is also used as a prestigious venue for concerts and receptions. It is unique for its splendidly preserved historic interiors and furniture dating from the 17th and 18th centuries.... view details

3.Walzin Castle

Walzin Castle was constructed in the 13th century, but the castle was burned down by the French army in 1554. A Renaissance horseshoe tower with four cannon ports was added in the 15th century, and that tower still exists today. There were several restorations later, the latest by Baron Frederic Brugman between 1930 and 1932. Victor Hugo made a drawing of the castle in 1863.... view details

2.Alden Biesen Castle

The knights of the Teutonic Order founded the commandery of Alden Biesen in the 11th century, but the current castle was constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries.
It was the headquarters of a province of the Teutonic Order in the region of the Maas and Rhine. On 8 March 1971 the building burnt down and was acquired by the government and restored. The castle is used today as a cultural centre and conference centre. In addition to the moated castle, the complex contains a church and gardens.... view details

1.Miranda Castle

Miranda Castle is a 19th-century neo-Gothic castle, located in the Belgium region of the Ardennes. It was built in 1866 by the English architect Edward Milner under commission from the Liedekerke-De Beaufort family, who had left their previous home, Veves Castle, during the French Revolution.
A portion of the Battle of the Bulge took place on the property, and it was during that time, the Chateau was occupied by German forces.
As of June 2016, the Chateau has been acquired and is now off-limits listed as 'private property'.
Sadly, Chateau Miranda has now been demolished. They finally brought down the tower in October 2017.... view details

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