Gaasbeek Castle

Gaasbeek Castle confirms that Belgium is the “architectural center” of Western Europe; the country has a huge number of old buildings, beautiful European houses, as well as many castles for which one of the Belgian communes, Lennik, is so famous. It is here that one of the most famous castles in the whole world is located - Gaasbeek.

Brief description

Gaasbeek Castle has a long history. Throughout its history, the castle was a refuge for many noble lords of Belgium, who defended themselves here from multiple invaders. Despite the fact that the building was equipped with a powerful citadel, as well as large walls, in the 17th century the French were able to capture this fortress. Unfortunately, Gaasbeek Castle was destroyed so badly that its restoration took quite a long time - two centuries. Thanks to the reconstruction, it was possible to restore its original majestic appearance, and also managed to add some new elements of Baroque architecture.

Features of Gaasbeek Castle

The architecture of the fortress is made in a fairly austere style - the garden that adjoins the castle is especially surprising and delightful; inside the garden grow rare species of trees brought here from different parts of the world. The aesthetics of the walls and other elements of the defensive structures of Gaasbeek Castle never cease to amaze; all elements were made in the same Baroque style, while they are organically combined with each other thanks to the incomparable work of the master engineers who built this structure.

Speaking about the modern castle, it should be said that it owes its appearance to Charles Albert, who, by order of the marquise, the owner of the castle, transferred it to the ownership of the Belgian government. Thanks to the efforts of the government, a museum was opened in this area, where valuable items from the inhabitants of the castle are still stored, as well as weapons that were used by the defenders of the castle to repel massive attacks of foreigners. Gaasbeek Castle is one of the many castles in Belgium, but also one of the few castles with such a long history, the memory of which is preserved by the walls of this fortress.