Millen Castle

Millen Castle, locally known as Waterburcht Millen, lies in the village of Millen, in the province of Limburg in the Flemish region in Belgium.

Millen Castle was first mentioned in 1365. The square keep, predating the castle, had at that time already developed into a square water castle with a projecting gate tower and circular flanking towers on two corners.

In 1489 the castle was besieged and taken which caused a lot of damage. At that time it was owned by Arnold van Barlo; a servant of the Prince-Bishop of Liège.

In 1591 the castle came into the hands of the Fléron family, they turned the decaying castle into a more comfortable manor in the style of the Mosan Renaissance.

After the 18th century the castle wasn't permanently inhabited anymore which caused it to fall into decay. This led to the collapse of the residential wing in 1774.

In the early 19th century the castle had become a ruin and important parts of the castle were torn down. The east and west wing which remained were turned into farm buildings.

In 1972 the castle remains were bought by the municipality of Millen to prevent further loss.

During the 1990s the castle was restored and it is now one of four visitors centers in a bicycle- and car-itinerary-network around the theme "Castles and Fortifications in the Eu-region Meuse-Rhine". Don't have high expectations about the visitor center, however. It is very minimal. Too bad because they could make a lot more of it.

The castle however is nice and in my opinion the restorations were done with style.

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