Kasteel Ter Elst, Medieval castle ruins in Duffel, Belgium

Kasteel Ter Elst is a ruined brick castle on an island in a park in Duffel. Its reddish-brown walls are broken along the top, a tall slender round tower with narrow window slits rises on the right, and a lower wall with tall rectangular openings and a squat second tower stand to the left. Only the wing with the towers survives of the larger complex.

The castle is first mentioned in a 12th-century source, when it belonged to the Hildincshusen brothers. From 1356 until the French Revolution in 1789 it was owned by the Abbey of Tongerlo and inhabited by its steward. It burned down in 1584 and was rebuilt; in 1799 Louis Hermans bought it and demolished three of the four main buildings, keeping the wing with the towers. Heavy damage in the First World War left it a ruin.

From 1356 until 1789 the castle belonged to the Abbey of Tongerlo and was run by a steward, who lived there; the abbey also lodged noble guests. After restoration the ruin is to serve again as a venue for cultural events, as it did from the 1980s.

Visitors cannot enter the structure itself, but the surrounding park provides walking paths and areas for strolling around the ruins. It is best to visit during daylight hours to see the structures clearly and navigate the paths safely.

The abbey of Tongerlo held the castle from 1356 until the French Revolution in 1789, and a steward lived there on its behalf. Brickmaker C. Funcke founded Steenbakkerij Ter Elst nearby in 1879. Competition from the Kempen brickworks helped reduce the castle to a ruin after heavy damage in the First World War.