Kasteel Ter Waere

Gistel, Belgium, Belgium

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Kasteel Ter Waere, also known as Château de la Waere and locally as “Ronses kasteel,” is a historic castle estate in Gistel, West Flanders, Belgium, located just north of the Brugse baan road.

The site already contained a 17th-century castle used by canon members of Bruges as a country residence, and the current buildings and layout reflect later developments into a full castle domain with park, a remaining vegetable garden, a main kasteel, a conciërgerie (caretaker’s house), a coach house, and associated functional buildings.

The entire castle site, including the Ronsemolen windmill to the north of the park, was recognized as a protected village landscape in 1977, and in 2002 the castle and its immediate surroundings (main building, coach house with stables, smaller residential buildings, pump house, and the L-shaped vegetable-garden wall) were officially protected as a monument because of their historical and architectural significance.

The estate remains private property, but it has occasionally been open for special cultural events, such as guided tours and theatrical performances, allowing visitors to experience its park and buildings in a limited way.