Ter Heyden Tower

The Ter Heyden Tower, locally known as Donjon Ter Heyden or Ter Heide Toren, stands north of the village of Rotselaar, in the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish region in Belgium.

This moated keep was likely built around 1350 by Gerard van der Heyden in the Dijle Valley, probably to emphasize his status, since he was bailiff of Brabant and had become noble through marriage. By 1631, the keep was owned by Aarnout van Eynatten en Schoonhoven, Lord of Ter Heiden, who added the house next to it. The industrial chimney beside the house is a remnant of the brewery that operated there until 1939.

The keep stands 30 meters tall and features a unique floor plan in the shape of a Greek cross. Inside, there are six floors connected by a spiral staircase. It was constructed using local materials, namely brick and sandstone.

I find this to be a particularly interesting keep mainly because of its unusual ground plan. If anyone knows of a keep with a similar layout, please let me know.

The Ter Heyden Tower is private property and can only be visited on special days, such as National Heritage Days. My first visits were unsuccessful in gaining entry, but on the last one, I was able to go inside! The top two floors were off-limits due to nesting barn owls. It’s a very distinctive tower, well worth a visit!

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