Tillegem Castle

Tillegem Castle, locally known as Kasteel van Tillegem, lies south of the city of Bruges, in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish region in Belgium.

Although it is suggested that Tillegem Castle may have had a 9th-century predecessor, the current Tillegem Castle was originally built in the 12th or 13th century when it was owned by Lord Jan van Voormezele. It was constructed as a square moated castle with square corner towers.

Over the following centuries, the castle was owned by several wealthy Bruges families, who rebuilt it multiple times, possibly due to war damage or to improve comfort.

In 1879, Tillegem Castle was purchased by Baron Eugène Charles de Peñaranda de Franchimont. He had the castle renovated to its present Flemish Gothic Revival style by architect Jean-Baptiste de Béthune.

The castle was privately inhabited until 1980, after which it was transferred to the provincial government. It was subsequently restored and adapted for office use.

Today, Tillegem Castle houses various provincial government offices. It is not open for visits, but the surrounding park is open to the public. A beautiful castle.

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