Nokere Castle, Protected castle in Nokere, Belgium

Nokere Castle, also called Castle Casier, is a cream-coloured masonry building with a dark slate hipped roof, seen from a corner so two facades show. The main facade has a central section under a triangular pediment with a small crest; below it a doorway with a rounded fanlight opens onto a small balcony with a dark iron railing. Tall multi-paned windows with pale frames stand in regular rows on both sides, and a tall pale chimney rises near the left end of the roof, with smaller dormers along the ridge.

The castle predates the 16th century and burned down in 1596. Mathieu-Xavier de Ghellinck, who bought the Nokere estate in 1727, rebuilt it, and between 1773 and 1783 two side wings gave it its present Classicist look. Later owners, the Vanhove, de Witte and Wasseige families, left the estate virtually unchanged; since 1946 Baron Casier has renovated the interior and partly redesigned the park with landscape architect René Pechère.

The castle is also called Castle Casier, after the Casier family that has owned it since 1946; Baron Casier renovated the interior and partly redesigned the park in the 18th-century tradition with landscape architect René Pechère. Near the castle stand a 17th-century gatehouse bearing the tombstone of Jacob van Gavere and a coach house holding carriages from the 18th and 19th centuries.

The castle is accessible by public transport, particularly by train to Kruishoutem station, from where bus connections lead to the grounds. Visitors should check local bus schedules as departure times can be limited in this rural area.

The estate stayed in the hands of the Vanhove, de Witte and Wasseige families without major changes until 1946, when Baron Casier took over. He renovated the interior and partly redesigned the park in the 18th-century tradition together with landscape architect René Pechère. The castle is also called Castle Casier after this family.