Ooidonk Castle () is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

in the city of

Deinze Deinze () is a city and a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders. It comprises the city of Deinze, and the towns of Astene, Bachte-Maria-Leerne, Gottem, Grammene, Hansbeke, Landegem, Meigem, Merendree, Nevele, Petegem-aan-de-Lei ...

East Flanders East Flanders ( ; ; ; ) is a Provinces of Belgium, province of Belgium. It borders (clockwise from the North) the Netherlands, Dutch province of Zeeland and the Belgian provinces of Antwerp (province), Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, Hainaut (provinc ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. The castle is the residence of the current Count t'Kint de Roodenbeke. Ooidonk Castle is situated at a
altitude of 11
meters.

History

Ooidonk is already mentioned in 1230 : "Nicolas, chaplain of Hodunc". A fortress was first built on the site of the current castle, intended to defend the city of

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 ...

and to fortify the river

Leie The Lys () or Leie () is a river in France and Belgium, and a left-bank tributary of the Scheldt. Its source is in Pas-de-Calais, France, and it flows into the river Scheldt, with the confluence in the city of Ghent, Belgium. Its total length ...

. This fortress was owned by Jean de Fosseux, lord of

Nevele Nevele () is a village and former Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Hansbeke, Landegem, Merendree, Nevele proper, Poesele and Vosselare. In 2 ...

. The castle was destroyed for the first time in 1491 by the people of Ghent, in revolt against Maximilian I. In 1568, Philippe II de Montmorency-Nivelle, Count of Hornes, Lord of Nevele and owner of the estate was beheaded, along with the

Count of Egmont This is a list of lords and counts of Egmont (Egmond aan den Hoef) of the House of Egmont. Lords of Egmont * Radbold I (?-791) * Gerbrand (?-845) * Wolbrand (?-869) * Radbold II (?-920) * Dodo I (?–977) * Walger (?–1036) * Dodo II (?–1074) ...

, by the Spanish

Duke of Alba Duke of Alba de Tormes (), commonly known as Duke of Alba, is a title of Spanish nobility that is accompanied by the dignity of Grandee of Spain. In 1472, the title of ''Count of Alba de Tormes'', inherited by García Álvarez de Toledo, wa ...

in Brussels. In 1579, during the

wars of religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war (), is a war and conflict which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion and beliefs. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent ...

, the castle, defenseless, was destroyed by the Ghent

Calvinists Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

. The ruins and lands were later acquired by Martin della Faille, a merchant from Antwerp. He rebuilt the castle in a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

style and transformed it into a place of residence in Hispano-Flemish style. In 1864, the castle and lands were acquired by Henri t' Kint de Rodenbeke who went on to become

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the Speaker (politics), speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...

and

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

. He restored and transformed the castle. It is now the private property of Count Henry t'Kint de Roodenbeke, son of the late Count Juan t'Kint de Roodenbeke. In 1944, the castle was classified as a protected landmark. In 1980, other constructions around it were also classified, and in 1995, so was the rest of the estate. Ooidonk Castle is open to the public from April 1 to September 15, and the park (with its French garden) can be visited year round.

References

External links

Ooidonk Castle official website
Buildings and structures completed in the 16th century Castles in Belgium Castles in East Flanders Museums in East Flanders Historic house museums in Belgium Deinze {{Belgium-castle-stub

History

See also

References

External links