Rijkel Castle

Rijkel Castle, locally known as Kasteel van Rijkel, lies in the village of the same name, in the Limburg province in the Flemish region in Belgium.

Rijkel Castle was the residence of the Lords of Rijkel, who were first mentioned in the 13th century. In the 14th century, it was acquired by the Bolle van Rijkel family. The castle was first mentioned as their residence in 1541. At that time, there was only a manor farm, not a castle.

In the early 17th century, that manor farm came into the possession of the De Hinnisdael family through marriage. By the mid-17th century, they completely rebuilt and expanded the manor, turning it into a U-shaped, castle-like complex, complete with square corner towers, a moat, and a drawbridge.

In the early 18th century, Rijkel Castle was described as being in disrepair. Later that century, it was purchased by Baron Pierre Antoine de Thiribu, who restored it. His descendants lived in the castle until 1831, when they died without heirs. From then on, the castle remained vacant for over a century.

In 1936, the dilapidated castle was acquired by the Association of Historical Belgian Residences. They made only essential repairs before handing it over to the authorities of Limburg Province in 1965. After one of the towers collapsed in 1966, the castle was fully restored between 1972 and 1984. The province used it as an office until 2003, when it sold it due to high maintenance costs.

The new owner, a private party, had high hopes for the castle's future, but none of his plans came to fruition. Since then, the castle has stood empty again. Inside, I saw numerous works that had been started but abandoned long ago. It looked as if some parts of the castle had been used by squatters or local youth.

Currently, Rijkel Castle is for sale, remains vacant, and is not open to the public. What a sad state for such a beautiful building.

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