Meldert Keep

The Meldert Keep, locally known as Donjon van Meldert, stands in the village of the same name, in the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish region in Belgium.

The Meldert Keep may have been built by a Gautier van der Quaderbruggen after 1341, when he acquired the site from the Lords of Meldert. The keep itself was first mentioned in 1408, when all properties of the latter were acquired by a Hendrik van Wencsele.

In 1433 the keep was inherited by a Lybrecht van Meldert, who was a notable of the city of Louvain. During the 15th century the keep lost its military function.

In 1568 the Meldert Keep suffered from a fire. Possibly around that time the Lords of Meldert built a new castle, just south of the village; Meldert Castle. During the 18th century the medieval keep fell to ruin.

The Meldert Keep is a square keep with a projecting stair tower built out of Gobertange stone, a kind of local gray/white limestone. It was built as a moated site, in a swampy area between 2 arms of the Molen brook. Originally it would have had 2 floors above a cellar, but only the cellar and the first floor remain.

The site of the Meldert Keep is freely accessible. The interior of the keep was also accessible when I visited. A nice, somewhat forgotten keep.

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