The Geeraard de Duivelsteen ("Geeraard the Devil Castle") is a 13th-century

gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

building in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

, Belgium. It served as

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

of the Portus Ganda, the city's port.

History

The building was built in the 13th century and was named after the

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

Geeraard Vilain (1210-1270), second son of the fifteenth

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

of Ghent,

Zeger III of Ghent Zeger III of Ghent (called The Good) was the lord of Heusden, of Bornhem, and of Saint-Jean Steen, and the Châtelain of Ghent. He was the second son of Zeger II, Lord of Ghent and Petronella of Coutrai. His older brother, Arnold, died before 11 ...

. Vilain's

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

was "Geeraard de Duivel" ("Geerard the Devil"), which was based on his dark complexion and hair color. In the 14th century, the building became city property. Over the course of centuries, it was used for various functions; gatherings of knights, as an armory, a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

, a school, the seminary for the diocese of Ghent, an

insane asylum The lunatic asylum, insane asylum or mental asylum was an institution where people with mental illness were confined. It was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital. Modern psychiatric hospitals evolved from and eventually replace ...

and a

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

. In 1775, the Rasphuis near the Coupure channel became the new prison. In 1830, the Geeraard de Duivelsteen became a

fire station __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire apparatus, fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equ ...

. Near the end of the 19th century, it was bought by the Belgian state to serve as a

national archive National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...

. For this purpose, a new wing was built. Due to the numerous restorations, the building has changed a lot since the Middle Ages. Since 2010, it has been for sale, because of its unsuitability for the storing of archives.

In popular culture

In the Belgian comics series ''

The Adventures of Nero ''The Adventures of Nero'' or ''Nero'' was a Belgium, Belgian comic strip drawn by Marc Sleen and the name of Nero (comic book character), its main character. The original title ranged from ''De Avonturen van Detective Van Zwam, Detectief Van Z ...

'' the building is the personal home of Geeraard de Duivel, one of

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

's major antagonists. It is depicted in three stories: "De Hoed van Geeraard de Duivel" ("Geeraard the Devil's hat") (1950), "De Terugkeer van Geeraard de Duivel" ("The Return of Geeraard the Devil") (1983) and "De Kolbak van How" ("The

Busby Busby may refer to: Clothing *Busby (military headdress), a kind of military headdress, made of fur, derived from that traditionally worn by Hussars. Places * Busby, Alberta, a hamlet in Canada *Busby, East Renfrewshire, a village in Scotland * ...

of How") (1993-1994). It's a central location in

Jan Bucquoy Jan Bucquoy (; Harelbeke, 16 November 1945) is a Belgian anarchist who has worked in various media (film, comics writing, painting, sculptures, museums). He gained fame for his controversial anti-establishment works and media stunts, which cause ...

's comic book album ''Gerard de Duivel'', written by Bucquoy and drawn by Tito (Tiburcio de la Llave). It was one of the locations used in the BBC drama series '' The White Queen''.

Sources

External links

* * {{Castles in Belgium Buildings and structures in Ghent Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century Castles in East Flanders Castles in Belgium The Adventures of Nero Tourist attractions in Ghent