Laarne Castle

Laarne Castle
Laarne Castle
Laarne, East Flanders, Belgium
	View of the current main entrance on the castle's east side
Coordinates	51°01′41″N 3°50′17″E / 51.028°N 3.838°E
Type	Water castle
Site information
Owner	Royal Association of Historic Residences and Gardens of Belgium
Site history
Built	c. 1300
Materials	Limestone

Laarne Castle (Dutch: Kasteel van Laarne) is a water castle near Laarne, East Flanders in Belgium near to the provincial capital of Ghent. Laarne Castle is situated at an elevation of 3 meters.

Laarne is situated approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south-east of the major historic city of Ghent which was the capital of the County of Flanders. The first traces of the current castle were built in the early 14th century by the knight Gerard van Massemen who constructed a gatehouse with a wooden bridge across a moat. He added three round towers and a square keep (donjon) connected by walls shortly afterwards. A private chapel was constructed in the keep in around 1350 and fragments of the original wall paintings survive.

The castle was extensively renovated in the Early Modern period. It was comprehensively renovated as a stately home in the 17th century and a barronacy was created at Laarne in 1673.

Since 1953 the castle belongs to the Koninklijke Vereniging der Historische Woonsteden en Hoven van België (Royal Association of Historic Residences and Gardens of Belgium), to whom it was given by the last private owner, the Comte de Ribaucourt (Count of Ribaucourt). It is a protected national monument and is open to the public. It houses a notable collection of European silverware from the collection of Claude D'Allemagne.

View of the courtyard towards the historic keep on the north side of the castle.
1631 depiction of the castle's western side in Flandria Illustrata, showing its original gatehouse.
Depiction of the castle's north side in Chateaux et Monumens des Pays-Bas Faisant suite au Voyage pittoresque (1827)