Kasteel Van Olsene

Zulte, Belgium, Belgium

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Kasteel van Olsene is a large, moated water castle in the village of Olsene, part of Zulte in East Flanders, Belgium, situated along the major road between Ghent and Kortrijk (the N43, Grote Steenweg).

The present building was constructed between 1854 and 1859 on the site of the medieval “Hof ter Wallen”, a fortified, fully walled manor that had existed since at least the end of the 11th century, and was designed by the well‑known Ghent architect Louis Minard in a blend of neo‑Renaissance and neo‑Gothic styles, with a symmetrical block set in a circular pond and only accessible via a stone arched bridge.

The entrance to the estate is marked by two 18th‑century pavilions in Spanish style, originally part of the older Hof ter Wallen and connected by an iron gate, and behind them lies the water castle surrounded by a wide moat, a park, a neerhof (farmyard) with stables, kennels, an icehouse and a walled vegetable garden, as well as a long 18th‑century avenue of beech trees leading towards the castle.

The interior is especially notable for its rich decoration, including Oriental elements such as Chinese wallpaper, a gold‑leaf 18th‑century boudoir, a library and a chapel, and the castle was inhabited for generations by members of the noble Piers de Raveschoot family, who also supplied the local burgomasters, before being sold to private owners around 2002 who adapted the building to modern comfort while preserving its historic character.