![Ooidonk castle, Belgium ; Ferraris Map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Ooidonk_castle%2C_Belgium_%3B_Ferraris_Map.jpg)
Ooidonk Castle ( nl, Kasteel Ooidonk) is a
castle 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-Leie, ...
,
East Flanders
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = Province of Belgium
, image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg
, flag_size =
, image_shield = Wapen van O ...
,
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 castle is the residence of the current Count
t'Kint de Roodenbeke. Ooidonk Castle is situated at a
altitude of 11meters.
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 ( 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 i ...
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 in Ghent, Belgium. Its total length is .
Historically a very pollut ...
. This fortress was owned by Jean de Fosseux, lord of Nevele.
The castle was destroyed for the first time in 1491 by the people of Ghent in revolt against
Maximilian of Austria.
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
Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavere (18 November 1522 – 5 June 1568) was a general and statesman in the Spanish Netherlands just before the start of the Eighty Years' War, whose execution helped spark the national uprising that eventuall ...
, by the
Duke of Alba
Duke of Alba de Tormes ( es, Duque de 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 ...
in Brussels.
In 1579, during the
wars of religion
A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...
, the castle, defenseless, was destroyed by the Ghent
Calvinists.
The ruins and lands were later acquired by
Martin della Faille, a notable merchant from Antwerp. He rebuilt the castle in a
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
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 and
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...
. 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.
See also
*
List of castles in Belgium
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
External links
Ooidonk Castle official website
{{Belgium-castle-stub
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