Ter Heyden Keep

En un regard

Le château en bref

Ter Heyden Keep, also called Terheiden Tower or Castle, stands in Rotselaar, in Flemish Brabant, on the edge of the Dyle valley. This fourteenth-century residential tower, some thirty metres high, is entirely surrounded by a moat; it is considered one of the best-preserved examples of medieval noble architecture in the region. Built of local brick and sandstone, it has an unusual Greek-cross plan and six storeys linked by a spiral staircase, beneath a pear-shaped spire that defines its silhouette. According to the specialist website castles.nl, it was probably erected around 1350 by Gerard van der Heyden, bailiff of Brabant. The estate later passed to the Smedts family of brewers, who lived in the neighbouring manor house, whose tall chimney recalls the brewery that operated there until 1939. It still belongs to descendants of that family. A restoration of the roof, masonry and spire, estimated at about €248,500, was announced in July 2026, with Flanders covering 60% of the cost.