Belgium is not only about chocolates, beer and waffles, but about castles too

Belgium is not only about chocolates, beer and waffles, but about castles too

 

Belgium is believed to be the country with the highest density of castles per square meter in the world. The country boasts majestic and beautiful castles too as much as it does its beverages around the world. From its northern region (Flanders or Dutch-speaking region) to the south (Flemish or Wallonia, largely French-speaking region) has almost 3,000 castles dating from medieval time to the modern days. The castle as a concept may not be as interesting as it is for people in the eastern part of the world where most English textbooks have plenty of fantasy stories revolving around castles and lords residing in them. Power, politics, magic, and glory are all that most students in the east have read and heard in movies and dramas. However, the story and legends are not always as it is written or shown to us. As per some estimates, the whole of Europe has about 10,000 castles. The fundamental question is when, how, and why castles were built in Europe. Let us first understand its origin and evolution as an architectural style that dominated medieval and early modern Europe. 

 

A castle was supposed to be a fortified structure in medieval times used by nobles, royalties, and lords as a residence. However, with the passage of time, the term has become ambiguous with hill forts and country houses. After the fall of the Carolingian Empire in the 9^th and 10^th centuries in Europe, its territories were divided among individual lords and nobles. Moreover, frequent attacks of Magyars, Muslims, and Vikings had further aggravated the need for defensive structures. Henceforth, began the era of Castles in Europe. Primarily, they were built with the purpose of defence on strategic elevated points and running the administration of their immediate territories. At the outset, we don’t witness typical towers as part of castle building and arrow slits or narrow loopholes which archers could use to attack enemies. This trend went on until the 12^th and 13^th centuries when for the first time tower was introduced as an essential defensive and attacking component of castles building. The layout too had changed to a polygon shape with a purpose to have multiple and simultaneous attacking positions from the castle consequently maximizing the firepower of the castle and making it insurmountable for any enemy. 

Arrow Slits

Norman invaders of England were the first to establish castles to consolidate their conquered territories in England and pacify the rebellions. However, with the advent of mighty cannons and permanent artillery fortifications, castles began losing their military significance and remained as important residences and power symbols of lords and nobles.

Here I will talk about three types of castles.

1.  Motte & Bailey Style:  

Mohenjodaro Remains from Indus Valley

As shown in the example above, The design looks quite similar to Mohenjodaro (developed around 2500 BC), the largest city in the Indus Valley Civilization in the northwest of India. However, early European castle building scales are far smaller than the scale of Mohenjodaro. It is understood through excavations that Mohenjador too had a fortification for defensive purposes and served as an administrative post. Nevertheless, this is just to educate my readers about these random dots that may have some relevance even if imaginary for once.

It is built with a combination of wood and stone. Due to its simplicity and use of simple and easy material, unskilled labour could work in its construction. They first appeared in northern Europe followed by other countries in the continent. These castle styles prevailed until the 12-13^th centuries after which alternative designs started taking place. 

 

2.  Concentric Castles:

The turbulent phase of medieval time had pushed people in the west to create safer and strategically defensive structures than Motte & Bailey-style castles. The rise of the Islamic Empire was followed by the crusade movement in the west, we observe accentuating concentric castles with a design shown above. The design was inspired by the castles built in the Holy Land. It used to be a massive construction project that not only needs fine engineering skills but a huge monetary investment and time. The general layout of Concentric Castle has multiple layers of defence making it impossible for the attacking army to penetrate and capture it. The outer curtain wall is lower with multiple defensive towers or a primary defensive fronts that will face the first blow of any attack. To capture a castle, the attacking army will have to breach heavily guarded and fortified gates.  

3.   Stone Keep Castles:

The beginning of the 10^th-11^th centuries was marked by the Stone Keep Castles in northern Europe. This change was led by a newly found feudal system based on land ownership and labour control. Mighty and powerful castles were not only the need of better defence but also a signature of political power for lords and nobles. Due to the use of wood in Motte & Bailey castles, it was prone to fire and damage to extreme weather conditions along with regular repair work. Moreover, with the advancement in weapon technology, it was futile to rely on the wood-based castles for defence, hence, began the era of stone keep castles. Stone towers with arrow slits gave a great advantage to the defensive army and scared those seeking to besiege it. Therefore, building stone keep castles not only boosted the military power of lords but also their reputation and grandeur. 

Nevertheless, there are plenty of other styles today in castle building and that of course may need thesis writing if needed to explain every bit of it. So, I am keeping it precise, limited, and yet explanatory enough about what is castle and how it evolved. Now, back to the question, why does Belgium have so many castles?

To my mind, it could be due to its strategic and central location surrounded by France in its South-West, Germany in the East, the Netherlands in the North-East, and the English Channel in North-West. If we look at the history of the Middle Ages, these surrounding countries have been at war with each other for a long time and probably created a fractured zone if I may say in the context of the medieval period, therefore, we witness so many castles in Belgium.

This small and yet pretty country has both defensive, fortified castles used for defense and war in the Middle Ages, and imperial-style castles used as residences by Belgian royalty and nobility. If we talk about castles in Belgium specifically, there are many castles built long before even Belgium as a country was founded. 

There is a high concentration of Castles in the French Walloon region of Liege and Namur. Both are strategically located along the River Meuse and were often targets of attacks in the medieval period. However, castles in the Dutch-speaking Flanders region are relatively modern and built during the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

The Brussels Capital Region which consists of both French and Dutch-speaking people has more than 20 castles that include the Royal Castle of Laeken. Of all 20s, Stoclet Palace is believed to be the most beautiful and grand, hence has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009. Let me share a few popular castles of Belgium that one must visit while being in Belgium.  

 Gravensteen of Flanders Region in Belgium

 

The Gravensteen is a medieval castle located in Ghent, a Flanders or Dutch-speaking region in today’s Belgium. It was the residence of the Counts of Flanders from 1180 AD to 1353 AD. It has been handed down to several folks and has been turned into a court, prison, mint, and even a cotton factory. Finally, it was restored in 1903 AD. Today, it functions as a museum and a prominent landmark of the city.

Note: count of the ruler is known to be ruler or subordinate of the ruler for the county of Flanders at the outset of the 9^th century. 

Castle of Freyr in Namur, Belgium

The Castle of Freyr is located in Wallonia on the bank of the Meuse River. The garden design is inspired by the style of Andre Le Notre (1613—1700) who was a French Landscape architect. He is known to have designed the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. His work is considered the pinnacle of French formal garden layouts. 

Alden Biesen Castle of Limburg, Belgium

It is situated in a small village of Belgium called Rijkhoven in the province of Limburg. It was found by the Teutonic Order in the 11^th century, however, the current building of the castle was constructed between the 16^th and 18^th centuries. It functioned as the headquarters of a bailiwick or province of the Teutonic Order in the region of the Meuse and Rhine. In 1971, the castle suffered damages through fire and later was acquired by the government followed by restoration.

Today, the castle is a fascinating cultural centre and a vibrant space to host Festivals like Scottish Weekend or the International Story Festival. The castle also contains a church and garden on its premises. 

Groot-Bijgaarden Castle of Brabant, Belgium

The castle was built in the 17^th century. The style is believed to be an example of the Flemish Renaissance. It is situated in the village of Grand Bigard (Goot-Bijgaarden), about 7 km from Brussels. Almaric de Bigard, the first lord of Grand Bigard lived here around 1110 AD. Until now, the castle has been owned by 40 owners, including several well-known names in Belgian history.

Gaasbeek Castle of Brabant, Belgium

It was built in 1240 AD to defend the Duchy of Brabant from the county of Flanders. The troops of Brussels city had attacked the castle after the assassination of Everard t’Serclaes that was commanded by Sweder of Abcoude, the Lord of Gaasbeek at the time. In the following centuries, the castle was handed down to several nobles and lords who repaired it according to their choice and need. Its present appearance of the medieval era is the result of restoration done in the period of 1887-1898 AD. Marquis d’Arconati Visconti was the last who owned the castle and ordered the restoration. After his demise, the castle was donated to the Belgian state by his widow Marie Peyrat. 

From the 1980s onwards, the castle has been owned by the Flemish Community and today it consists of impressive art collections being displayed in lavish and decorative styles.

Chateau de Beloeil, Belgium

Before I begin with its historic background and related stories. Let me explain the very concept of “Chateau”. It is quite unlike a castle in its purpose of the building. It is believed to be a manor or lord's house built without a purpose of defence. It is largely due to its construction without a fortification. Although, there are varying interpretations in academia and in general. It is a French word for a fortress or a palace and most Chateaux are either palaces or fine country houses.

It is the residence of Prince of Ligne, the family of whom is believed to be one of the oldest Belgian noble families. The original building had a fortification and a surrounding moat with four round towers, one at each angle. During 1900 AD, the castle suffered while celebrating New Year when the whole building was burned down. However, most of the furnishings, the library of 20,000 rare volumes, and art collection were saved. Later, it was restored and redecorated in its current form by a French architect named Ernest Sanson.

Chateau de Modave, Liege in Belgium

It is situated near village Mondave in Liege Province of Wallonia region in the east of Belgium. There is not a much-recorded history of this castle. However, as per available limited information, this castle has been handed down to multiple owners throughout its history and is now owned by “Brussels Intercommunal Water Company” which has been maintaining it to date.

Conclusion

Well, this is not the end of Castle Stories, there is indeed much more than this. The increasing obsessions of cinema and writers about castles and their magical ghost stories will continue to entertain us and generations to come. History is not always what it is in books or shown in movies or dramas, rather it is always an evolving interpretation and understanding of the present generation that history is rewritten and retold.

There is always the flip side of what we know and what we shall know. This article is just an effort to introduce beyond what is known and what is less known in a country like Belgium.

 

By Mohd Asif Ali