Horst Castle (Belgium)

Horst Castle, locally known as Kasteel van Horst, is located near the village of Sint-Pieters-Rode, north-east of the city of Brussels, in the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish region of Belgium.
When the first Horst castle was built it is not known. And yet there was a 'castellum Rode' in this area in the 11th century, the name of Horst was the first time in 1263. Then a Jan van Thunen settled here and his name is Jan van Horst.
Horst castle was built in a strategic place in Winge-valley and was one of the strengths that protect the nearby town of Leuven, which was the largest and most important city of the Duchy of Brabant in the 14th century.

In 1369 the castle was bought by a Amelric Boote who rebuilt. His stronghold only the keep, part of the facade and part of the gate remains.
In 1488-1489 the castle was burned by the people of Leuven during their war against Maximilian of Austria. Around 1490 the castle was rebuilt to its present appearance from a Lodewijk Pynnock. Before he could finish the castle had to sell it in 1500, because of financial difficulties.
The new owner was Iwein van Kortenbach that caused the castle to come in the life of the city of Mechelen, rather than Leuven.
In 1521 the castle was sold again, this time for Van Buysleyden family. But this family has also come into financial difficulties and had to sell the castle in the 17th century. This time it was sold to an Olivier van Schoonhoven that finally finished the reconstruction of the castle.

In 1630, Maria-Anna van den Tympel inherited the castle. She's the one who made the stucco ceilings in the three rooms and was the last owner actually resides in the castle.
In the following centuries the ownership of the castle changed several times through inheritance. The new owners, however, were not interested in the castle that had gotten out of fashion. The castle was mostly maintained by caretakers.

Today the castle is empty. During the visit you can walk through its halls and climb the keep all the way to the top through a narrow staircase wall. There is a small shop and a restaurant in the former coach-house on Bailey.