Lovendegem Castle

Lovendegem Castle, locally known as Kasteel van Lovendegem, lies in the village of the same name, in the province of East Flanders in the Flemish region in Belgium.

A castle at Lovendegem was already known in the 13th or 14th century. Until the 17th century it would have consisted of a keep with a simple stone house. Probably in the first quarter of the 17th century a wing with a chapel was added to the north side of the castle.

In 1700 the castle was awarded to Gillis Dons, Lord of Scheldewindeke. After he was elevated to baron in 1716, he changed his family name to Dons de Lovendeghem. The baron enlarged his castle in 1721.

The Dons de Lovendeghems had the castle completely rebuilt into the present eclectic castle by the architect P. van Kerkhove between 1885 and 1888. At the end of WW I, in 1918, the residing baron disappeared. His body was found 7 weeks later in the castle woods, he had been shot and his body had been covered up with straw. He was probably killed by retreating German soldiers.

Although the last Baron Dons de Lovendeghem died in 2014, Lovendegem Castle had already been for sale since 2004. The castle is now owned by the Baron Patrick the Ladoucette, from the Pouilly Fumé wine estate with the same name in France.

At present Lovendegem Castle is private property and can not be visited. The castle, however, seems to stand empty. A nice castle, too bad it is unused at the moment because when a large building like a castle is not used it often falls into disrepair.

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