Grimbergen Castle

Grimbergen, Belgium, Belgium

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Grimbergen Castle is commonly known as the Prinsenkasteel (Prince’s Castle) and refers to the historic ruins of a medieval castle in the Prinsenbos (Princes’ Wood) park of Grimbergen, Flemish Brabant, Belgium, which was the seat of the powerful medieval Lords of Grimbergen and later of the Princes of Grimbergen, whose title was granted by the Spanish king in 1686.

The castle was originally built around 1500 on the foundations of an earlier fortress, replacing a stronghold of the Berthout family that had been destroyed in the 12th‑century Grimbergen Wars, and it remained the residence of the lords of Grimbergen from the 14th century onward; the site is now a protected heritage monument and the whole estate, including the Prinsenbos park and the adjacent Guldendal, has been listed and protected as a rural site since 1980.

The castle itself lies in ruins and is closed to the public, but the surrounding forest and park are open to walkers and joggers, and the ruins can be viewed from the walking paths and trails, while the nearby Museum of Old Techniques (Museum der Oude Technieken or MOT) in the Guldendal building offers a cultural counterpoint to the castle, and some plans exist to turn the ruins into an exhibition space focused on 16th‑century construction methods, making it a historically significant yet discreet landmark that can be admired from the forest rather than visited as a traditional tourist castle.