En un regard
Le château en bref
In Cassel, on the summit of Inland Flanders, the Château Vandamme is one of the most singular residences in the North of France. A former ecclesiastical property confiscated during the Revolution, it was bought on 1 February 1794 by Dominique-Joseph-René Vandamme, a native of the area who became a general in the armies of the Republic and then of the Empire.
The general renamed it "la Frégate" and gave it the look of a ship: around 1810, he had a storey added, pierced with porthole-style windows with rounded ends. The south façade opens onto a colonnade surmounted by an imperial eagle; inside, marble, panelling and tapestries make up a prestigious decor, and an English-style garden surrounds the house.
A private residence, the château was put up for sale in 2017 after the death of its owner.