Brustem Keep

The Brustem Keep, locally known as Donjon van Brustem, lies in the village of the same name, in the province of Limburg in the Flemish region in Belgium.

This keep is actually the last remnant of Brustem Castle, which was built in 1170 by Louis I, Count of Loon. It served as a fortified outpost against the city of Sint-Truiden. In 1178, the people of Sint-Truiden besieged and partially destroyed the castle. It was later rebuilt.

The castle was again besieged and burned down in 1346 by the people of Sint-Truiden during their struggles against the Prince-Bishop of Liège, Engelbert III de la Marck.

The Battle of Brustem was fought near the village in 1467. In this battle, an army of 12,000 civilians from Liège, led by Raes van Heers, Lord of Heers, fought a professional army of 25,000 soldiers, led by the Duke of Burgundy, Charles I the Bold. The Duke routed the civilian army. During the retreat, the fleeing civilians sought refuge in Brustem Castle.

The castle was finally slighted in 1489 during the conflicts between the Prince-Bishop of Liège, John of Horne, and the De La Marck family. The keep survived and was turned into a dovecote. It was damaged by the troops of Louis XIV of France in 1672. From then on, it became a stone quarry for the locals.

All that remains today is the halved keep. The nearby church stands on the site of the former castle chapel, and the surrounding street, called 'Burggracht' (Castle moat), follows the outline of the old moat.

The Brustem Keep is now freely accessible after having been covered in protective scaffolding from 1989 to 2023. A nice castle remnant.

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