Dongelberg Castle

Dongelberg Castle, locally known as Château de Dongelberg, lies in the village of the same name, in the province of Walloon Brabant in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

The first Lords of Dongelberg were mentioned in the early 12th century. The first record of a fortification at this site was, however, in 1459. By 1659, only ruins remained of this fortification. Later, during the 17th century, the castle was rebuilt and embellished, featuring a tall, square keep.

In the second half of the 19th century, architect Parent gave Dongelberg Castle its current appearance, transforming it into an imposing neo-Louis-XIII castle with a tall, square tower made of sandy limestone, giving it a medieval look. If the present tower is the original keep is questionable because it bears little resemblance to the keep depicted in a late 17th-century drawing of the castle.

Currently, Dongelberg Castle is private property and cannot be visited. It stands empty and is boarded up. There seemed to be a hotel in some other buildings on the castle grounds. This castle, I would say, is quite ominous, and I would have loved to take a look inside.

The above account was written after I visited the castle in 2011. In later years, I also found out that it was put up for sale for €950,000. During restoration works in 2020, after it was sold, the castle unfortunately burned down. The last time I visited, it was apparently being rebuilt. I am curious about what its future use will be.

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