Château de la Motte

En un regard

Le château en bref

Château De Motte (Château de la Motte) stands in Groot-Gelmen, a section of Saint-Trond (Limburg), at Mettekovenstraat 4, in a wooded park surrounded by moats. It occupies the site of a medieval motte: a fortified tower is attested there in the 13th century, and its lower level can still be seen in the cellars. The Flemish inventory attributes the construction of a first castle to Henri de Brouckom between 1342 and 1367; the residence was enlarged in 1758 by Baron J. de Herckenrode, then in 1835 by J. Ulens. A fire in 1690 spared only the farm and a square tower. The present eclectic castle dates from 1865 according to Toerisme Vlaanderen, and from the second half of the 19th century according to the inventory. Built of brick with limestone and marl-stone dressings, it has a rectangular plan and is flanked by four small octagonal corner towers with slate pavilion roofs; its projecting front bay with a stepped gable dominates the north-east façade. The gatehouse tower with drawbridge, which has an old core, and the 1835 farm-castle, remodelled in neo-Gothic style, complete the ensemble. Dilapidated by 1994, the estate has since been restored and houses a brasserie, event venues and holiday accommodation.