Kasteel van Laarne, Medieval castle and museum in Laarne, Belgium
Kasteel van Laarne is a medieval castle in the Belgian municipality of Laarne, built in stone with a central keep and round towers capped with pointed stone roofs. The whole structure sits on an island surrounded by a wide water-filled moat.
The castle's origins go back to the 12th century, when it was first built as a defensive structure to control the surrounding area. In 1382, rebels from Ghent set it on fire, leaving marks that are still visible on the stonework today.
The castle's interior rooms display a collection of Brussels tapestries and old furniture from different centuries, giving visitors a concrete sense of how wealthy families once lived. Walking through the rooms feels less like a museum visit and more like stepping into a furnished home from another era.
The castle is located outside the center of Ghent and is most easily reached by car or bicycle. The site is compact enough that the courtyard and indoor rooms can all be visited in one go, without needing to plan a long day.
Kasteel van Laarne is one of the few medieval water castles in Belgium that was never fundamentally rebuilt, so its original floor plan has remained largely intact. This makes it a reference point for those who study how medieval defensive buildings were actually laid out.
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