On the first warm spring day I visited the Gaasbeek castle which is located near Brussels. It is quiet impressive and surrounded by a very beautiful parc.
The fortified castle was built around 1240 to defend the Duchy of Brabant against the County of Flanders. The castle was later destroyed by Brussels city troops.
At the beginning of the 16th century a brick castle was constructed on the ruins of the medieval fortress.
In the following centuries the castle was inhabited by several noble families. It obtained its pseudo-medieval appearance as the result of a renovation during the years 1887-1898.
Since 1980 the castle has been owned by the Flemish Community and became a museum. The authentic testament of the famous painter Peter Paul Rubens is exposed in there.
The castle and its park are of 50 hectares or 124 acres. (you can read more about it here)
The castle
and the crest above the entrance
one of the towers
inside, the entrance to the museum
a beautiful iron door
The inner court
Gardeners discussing
all around the castle is a moat, now without water
Pleasure Pavillon
The entrance doesn't seem to be used very often !
everywhere were mirrors as signs in form of a lady rider which explained the way to go and the explanations of the places.
and the huge wonderful parc.
Brussels Time.jpg)
18 comments:
Now that's a castle fit for a king. I wouldn't mind having that :)beautiful shots.
Whata marvellous castle. Great shots. Thanks for showing us around.
Sydney - City and Suburbs
It looks like a wonderful place to visit.
What a beautiful place. I love castles and old buildings, they always have such an atmosphere about them that you don't find in modern buildings.
Magnificent! I love that photo of the crest - those bricks look like mosaic!
Wow what a beautiful castle and grounds. It is just like out of a fairy tale book. Great shots.
I like to sit and imagine what it was like there when the place was full of workers, the kings and Gentry, and the ladies in their fancy dresses. Imagine great dinners in the halls and balls too! Ah I have read too many romance novels, I think!
aw... this is so grand ... thanks for sharing!
What a fantastic castle! I love your photos, they're terrific! So much history! That's one of the things I found so fascinating when I lived in Europe, our country is so young you just don't find places like this. Hope your week is off to a great start, Gattina!
Sylvia
Very fascinating castle. Love the scenery.
I love the shot of the castle with the sun flare! That is so cool!
Wow, what a great castle. Nice shots, thanks for posting them.
What a place! I think Thom SHOULD have it! KING Thom! Yes indeed! It's gorgeous! I'm surprised they haven't turned that park into a golf course!
Such wonderful photography Gattina--all of your shots of the castle and grounds. But my two favorities are the closeup of the castle--love the variety in the stone/brick work--and the inner court.
How could I missed that????
hmm It feels like home lol
I must have lived there in my past life. lol
Beautiful spot and has everything you'd want. Nice.:)
Hi Gattina! Have never been there, but it looks wonderful... And the weather was helping you a lot...
Blogtrotter Two has a French party for you in Turkey... ;) Enjoy and have a great week!!
The weather was much nicer than when we were there last week, and you took a lot of beautiful pictures Gattina! I was very pissed off that I was not allowed to take pictures inside, and it was raining outside, so I really don't have all that many!
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