Burcht Herzele, Medieval castle ruins in Herzele, Belgium.

Burcht Herzele is a ruined water castle on a lawn, built of pale tan and grey masonry. On the right stands a tall round tower with a dark conical roof and three thin flagpoles; below the roofline are small rectangular openings, including two window slots and a larger square opening lower down. To its left is a lower squared stone wall section, and further left a shorter round tower with vertical window slits. The remains rest on a low base of exposed rubble and earth.

The castle was the residence of the lords of Herzele. In 1380 troops of Louis of Male burned it during the Ghent revolt because Seger of Herzele sided with Ghent; the castle was repaired from 1386. In 1579 the Spaniards heavily damaged it with cannon, after which only the gatehouse, the northeast wing, barn and stable were restored in 1616. The keep collapsed in 1592 and was not rebuilt.

The castle was the seat of the lords of Herzele, whose line is documented from Franco van Herzele and his son Boudewijn onward. The moat around the castle doubled as a carp breeding pond, a detail of the lords' household economy. The gatehouse cellar kept bricked steps up to ground level and probably a prison with a latrine.

The site is located in the town center and tends to receive visitors during midday and early evening hours. The setting allows for walking through the ruins and enjoying the surrounding park space in a casual manner.

The round residential tower in the northeast corner keeps a brick dome ceiling with a spiral motif on its ground floor, while fireplaces, niches and a latrine survive on the upper floors. Two door openings on the first floor once led onto the northern and eastern curtain walls.