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

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

building in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

, 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 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. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

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. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

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 is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

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 monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

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

insane asylum The lunatic asylum (or insane asylum) was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital. The fall of the lunatic asylum and its eventual replacement by modern psychiatric hospitals explains the rise of organized, institutional psychiatry ...

and a

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

. 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 engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire h ...

. Near the end of the 19th century it was bought by the Belgian state to serve as a national archive. 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 Belgian comic strip drawn by Marc Sleen and the name of its main character. The original title ranged from ''De Avonturen van Detectief Van Zwam'' in 1947 to ''De Avonturen van Nero en zijn Hoed'' ...

'' 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 the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

'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 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 caus ...

'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