Top 10 Castles in Belgium
Belgium's position as the historical crossroads of northern Europe — between French, German, Dutch, Spanish, and Austrian spheres of power — produced a density of fortification out of proportion to its size. The country has over 500 registered castle sites, from Flemish moated watercastles to Walloon cliff fortresses in the Ardennes, from 12th-century military towers to Baroque country houses. Find them all on the map.
1. Gravensteen, Ghent
The Count's Castle in the heart of Ghent, built from 1180 for Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders, is the finest urban medieval castle in the Low Countries. Philip modelled it explicitly on the Crusader castles he had seen in the Holy Land during the Second Crusade: the oval enclosure with a circular keep at one end and a Romanesque palace range is a direct transposition of the Crusader castle form to Flemish conditions. The castle now houses a museum of medieval instruments of torture and justice; the view from the upper tower over the medieval city is among the best in Flanders.
2. Chateau de Bouillon, Ardennes
Bouillon castle, above the town of the same name in the Ardennes near the French border, occupies one of the most dramatic positions in Belgium: a narrow rocky spit in a meander of the Semois river, its walls rising directly from the cliff face. The castle was the seat of Godfrey of Bouillon, who sold it to the Prince- Bishop of Liege to finance his participation in the First Crusade in 1096 and subsequently became the first ruler of Jerusalem. The medieval fabric is substantial; the castle's three sequential baileys represent expansions of the 11th-13th centuries.
3. Kasteel van Beersel, Flemish Brabant
Beersel, south of Brussels, is among the best-preserved moated castles in Belgium. The triangular plan with three round towers dates from the early 14th century; the castle was restored in the 19th century but retains considerable original fabric. The water moat, still filled and functional, creates the classic Flemish waterkasteel silhouette. The castle was used as a filming location for numerous Belgian and international productions.
4. Chateau de Vianden, Luxembourg
Though technically in Luxembourg, Vianden castle is culturally and architecturally inseparable from the Belgian and German Ardennes tradition. The castle, one of the largest and most complete in the Greater Region, was substantially restored in the 20th century. Victor Hugo spent several periods in the town of Vianden during his Belgian exile; his house is preserved as a museum.
5. Citadelle de Namur, Namur
The citadel of Namur, at the confluence of the Sambre and Meuse rivers, has been a fortified position since the Iron Age. Its current form is primarily 17th-19th century, reflecting its role as one of the key strategic positions in the Napoleonic and later conflicts. The Terra Nova visitor experience within the citadel provides access to the underground tunnel system excavated during various military periods.
6. Kasteel van Gaasbeek, Flemish Brabant
Gaasbeek, southwest of Brussels, is a moated castle of 13th-century foundation substantially rebuilt in the 19th century as a private residence by the Arenberg family. The interior furnishing — a deliberate historicist accumulation of medieval and Renaissance furniture, tapestries, and objects of art — is preserved intact and is one of the more remarkable private collection interiors in Belgium.
7. Chateau de Jehay, Liege
Jehay, in the Meuse valley east of Liege, is a 16th-century renaissance waterkasteel of unusual architectural refinement: a chequered pattern of alternating dark and light stone in the tower faces, and an interior with a collection of Meuse valley Renaissance furniture and decorative arts. The family of the Counts de Geloes has occupied the castle for generations and managed it as a heritage property.
8. Kasteel van Laarne, East Flanders
Laarne, east of Ghent, is a moated castle of 12th-century foundation substantially rebuilt in the 15th century. Its pentagonal plan with round towers is characteristic of the developed Flemish waterkasteel form. The interior houses an important collection of late medieval and Renaissance silverware and tapestries from the Burgundian court tradition.
9. Chateau de Modave, Liege
Modave, overlooking the Hoyoux valley near Liege, was substantially rebuilt in the mid-17th century for the Counts of Marchin and retains its original Baroque interior: painted ceilings by Jean-Christian Hansche, Louis XIV-period furniture, and a hydraulic ram — built in 1667 by Rennequin Sualem, who later designed the Machine de Marly that supplied Versailles's fountains — that still delivers water to the castle from the valley below.
10. Chateau de Corroy-le-Chateau, Namur
Corroy-le-Chateau, south of Namur, is among the best-preserved 13th-century castles in Belgium. The hexagonal enclosure with six round towers, dating from around 1220-1230, retains its full circuit of walls and towers in unusually complete condition. The castle has been owned by the same family, the Marquesses of Trazegnies, since 1380.
Explore on the map
Belgium's full castle landscape — from the Flemish watercastles to the Ardennes cliff fortresses and the Meuse valley Renaissance chateaux — is visible on the interactive map.