Ooidonk Castle

Ooidonk Castle, locally known as Kasteel Ooidonk, lies east of the village of Bachte-Maria-Leerne, in the province of East Flanders in the Flemish region in Belgium.

The castle's name is derived from the word 'hodonk,' meaning a 'higher piece of land in a swamp'.

Ooidonk Castle was built as part of a defensive line around the city of Ghent to secure the Leie River. The earliest medieval castle was built sometime in the 13th or 14th century and was owned by the Lords of Nevele. We don't know what this first castle looked like, but later castles on this site were built on its foundations.

In the 15th century, the castle came into the possession of the Van Montmorency family, who kept it for 160 years. This period was the most turbulent in the castle's history. In 1491, it was burned to the ground because its owners had sided with Maximilian of Austria. The Van Montmorency family completed rebuilding it in 1501. However, in 1579, the castle was again burned during a siege. In 1595, it was sold by the devastated family.

The new owner was Maarten della Faille, an Antwerp banker, who rebuilt Ooidonk Castle in the Spanish-Flemish style, incorporating Renaissance-era wealth. He gave the castle its current appearance. His descendants, the Barons of Nevele, owned the castle for two centuries.

In 1870, a major restoration began under the direction of French architect Parent. He updated the castle to meet the living standards of his time. The exterior was mostly kept intact, aside from a few pseudo-Renaissance style modifications. The interior was entirely remodeled, allowing us to see today what a large 19th-century mansion looked like.

Currently, Ooidonk Castle and its park are open to visitors for a fee. Its interior, however, is only accessible on special days, as it still serves as a residence. It's a nice castle to visit, even though it isn't a true medieval castle.

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