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. Later it was rebuilt.

The castle was again besieged, and this time burned down, in 1346 by the people of Sint-Truiden in 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 rout, the fleeing civilians sought refuge in Brustem Castle.

The castle was finally slighted in 1489 during the struggles between the Prince-Bishop of Liège, John of Horne, and the De La Marck family. The keep remained 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 at present 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 moat of the old bailey.

The Brustem Keep is finally freely accessible, after having been encased in protective scaffolding between 1989 and 2023. A nice castle remnant.

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