Baron Braun Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

The castle known as ‘Baron Braun’ or Runenborg, in Heusden (Destelbergen), is a neo-Renaissance castle built in 1881 for L. Legrand-Lauwick, an industrialist who owned a tulle factory in Kwatrecht, by the architect-builders Migom and Ramont. Constructed of brick and natural stone over two storeys and seven bays, it is flanked by a square tower of four levels and opens onto a landscaped park with winding avenues typical of the late nineteenth century. A fire in 1904 destroyed the original roof, which was replaced by a lower mansard roof. Through the marriage of a daughter of Baron Roland, the estate passed to the Braun family, whose name it bears. The name Runenborg may refer to a former farm that has since disappeared, the ‘Ruynenburch’; a map of 1732 reportedly indicated a possible medieval motte surrounded by ditches on the site. An older castle, a moated manor house, is located nearby at No. 71. The estate, listed in the heritage inventory, is privately owned.