Beauvoorde Castle ( nl, Kasteel Beauvoorde) is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

Wulveringem {{Infobox settlement , name =Wulveringem , official_name = , settlement_type = Deelgemeente (part-municipality) , image_skyline = Dogs in Wulveringem.JPG , imagesize = , image_alt = , image_caption = Dogs in Wulveringem (2015) , image_m ...

, which since 1977 has been part of the municipality of

Veurne Veurne (; french: Furnes, italic=no, ) is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Veurne proper and the settlements of , , , , , Houtem, , , Wulveringem, and . History Origins up ...

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The first identified owner of the castle, in 1408, was Jan de Valuwe. In 1584, during the early part of the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

, the castle was burned down by bandits. It was rebuilt in 1617 in the Renaissance style. At that time the castle was owned by Jacob de Bryarde, and it remained in the Bryarde family till 1828, by which time the family fortunes were in decline and the castle was falling into a state of increasing disrepair. In 1875 a new owner, Arthur Merghelynck, undertook an extensive restoration. The interior fittings and furnishings inside it today date from Merghalynck's time. The building was expanded under plans drawn up by an architect from

called Jozef Vinck. The interior was remodeled in the seventeenth-century style using a combination of recovered and replica elements. The reworking was topped off with a new garden in a Franco-English style. Merghelynck died childless in 1905 and the castle was bequeathed to the Belgian state on condition they made it available to the (subsequently renamed) Royal Academy of Dutch language and literature (KANTL). Merghelynck's widow died in 1941 at the height of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, but after the war ended in 1945 his wishes were implemented. The castle was promoted to historic monument status in 1987.Kasteel van Beauvoorde met binnenste omwalling
/ref> In 1998 responsibility for the castle was transferred to a regional level, coming under the remit of the Flemish Heritage foundation. At certain times the castle can now be visited with the support of an "audio-guide". A "heritage shop" and "visitors' centre" complement the experience.

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Beauvoorde Castle
Castles in Belgium Castles in West Flanders Museums in West Flanders Historic house museums in Belgium {{Belgium-castle-stub

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