Castle d'Aertrycke

Torhout, Belgium, Belgium

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Castle d'Aertrycke (Dutch: Kasteel d'Aertrycke, also called Kasteel De Maere d'Aertrycke) is a large neo‑Gothic castle in the municipality of Torhout, West Flanders, Belgium, situated between the town centre, Wijnendale and Aartrijke in the hamlet of Aertrycke, and set within a 55‑hectare parkDomain d'Aertrycke with artificial lakes, meadows, old oak woods and winding walking paths.

The estate was bought in 1865 by August de Maere, the political figure known as the “spiritual father” of the port of Zeebrugge, who in 1868–1871 commissioned the Antwerp architect Joseph Schadde to build a striking neo‑Gothic residence in the centre of the former Verloren Kost domain, and the castle is still popularly known locally as “De Maere’s castle”.

The building features a romantic, historicist design with pointed arches, turrets and rich façades, and its interior is largely kept in authentic neo‑Gothic style, while the surrounding landscape park, laid out by garden architect Louis Fuchs, includes ponds, bridges, small pavilions and boat houses that once served as private retreats for the owners.

In 2012 the whole domain became a full provincial domain of West Flanders, and today the castle houses a luxury hotel and restaurant (the restaurant opened in 1990 and the hotel in 1996) and a congress centre, while the grounds are freely accessible to the public for walking, cycling and family recreation, making Castle d'Aertrycke both a notable 19th‑century historicist monument and a modern venue for tourism, events and leisure in the Bruges hinterland.