Voorde Castle

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

The exact date when a castle was first built here is unknown. The first mention of a Lord of Voorde dates back to the 14th century.

A new castle was constructed in 1539-40 by Joos van der Meere, the son of the then Lord of Voorde. However, in 1580, rebellious citizens from Ghent burned down the castle. The Van der Meere family rebuilt it afterward and lived there until 1736.

Later, several other owners used it as a farm. During the 20th century, Voorde Castle also served as a convent for the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul until 1974, when the dilapidated castle was purchased by artist Y. Rhayé. He restored the castle and moved in.

The castle has a square layout. The oldest part includes the south side, featuring the turreted gate and the two corner towers. The house on the north wall was built in 1827, and the wings on the east and west walls were modified in 1928.

To be honest, I don't know the current state of Voorde Castle. Rhayé died in 1995, and when I visited, the castle appeared overgrown and somewhat abandoned. The gate and surrounding woods give it a fairy-tale-like appearance, in my opinion.

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