Top 4 Castles around Wervicq-Sud

For centuries, Mariënstede Castle was the residence of the noble de Croix family. However, it is not certain whether Knight Jan van Dadizele lived here. In June 1699, Ignace Ferdinand de Croix (1660-1745) had the castle of the Bleutour estate (Berquin, northern France) demolished stone by stone and transported here by workers from Dadizele to build a new castle. Due to a lack of stone, he established two brickworks in Dadizele to ensure sufficient material. The building was completed in the early 18th century. During World War I, it was captured by the Germans and severely damaged by Allied bombardments in the summer and autumn of 1917. After the war, the right wing was demolished. The castle became much smaller in size. In 1953, the de Bouillé family sold the entire estate to the Diocese of Bruges. Maria Assumpta became a retreat house for priests. The arches on the facade, the chapel on the right, and the outbuilding on the left date from that period. In 1985, Mariënstede became a residential and work environment for adults with disabilities. Château Superette, a shop selling fair-trade products and products made by the residents, serves as the ideal link between the local population and the castle's residents. In January 2015, the canopy was demolished, and the facade regained its former charm. Source: toerismedadizele.be

If you are patient, you might see the Countess...

The Polderhoek is currently a forgotten piece of land near the A19 motorway, next to the Witches Monument. It is almost unthinkable, but during the war there was a beautiful park in the Polderhoek valley. The southern Polderhoek Castle stood in the middle of the park. The Polderhoek Castle, popularly known as the “Flower Castle”, was one of the most beautiful castles in the region. The castle was built around 1850, was over 30 hectares in size and had Italian architectural influences. From the beginning of the First World War, the beautiful park was occupied by the Germans. In 1914, the front ran right through it and the park was then on German territory. On 4 October 1917, British troops succeeded in taking the northeastern part of the park. However, they did not get any further and the offensive was stopped on the ridge. The entire area was shot to pieces and the Reutelbeek, which flowed through the park, formed a wide swamp. Triggered? Want to know more about the war past? Click through to https://www.toerismezonnebeke.be/nl/zien-en-doen/polderhoek-chateau-verdwenen-kasteel/

In the park behind the Vanackere castle (the current town hall) there are two gloriettes. These gazebos, probably built before the construction of the castle in 1896, initially bordered the park. A wall ran between the two, which was demolished when the park was expanded. The pavilion to the east of the town hall has a double landing staircase and a built-in ice cellar. No original interior elements were preserved in the pavilions. Source: Inventory of Immovable Heritage

Between 1894 and 1896, Jules Aimée Constant Van Ackere had his mansion replaced by a castle in an eclectic architectural style. The Kortrijk architect Cyriel Vanhoutte was inspired by various neo-styles for this building. The castle and park were closed off from the public road by a cast-iron fence with two gates. With the reconstruction of the Kortrijk-Menen road in 1960, the fence in front of the castle disappeared. During the First and Second World Wars, the house was requisitioned by the German occupiers to function as an "Ortskommandantur". Purchased in its entirety by the municipality in 1953. To this day, it serves as a town hall. Source: Inventory of Immovable Heritage

view from behind in front of its pond

The castle of Beselare, where the Van der Woestine family lived for 400 years, was located between the Keiberg and the Kortrijkdreve. The decline began in the second half of the 18th century. Seized by a display of exaggerated splendor and wastefulness, Marquis François III Maximiliaan Antoon Van der Woestine began to sell homesteads, estates and forests around 1770. The wealthy bailiwick family Duval from Beselare was usually the buyer. The horrors of the French revolution did the rest. The hunt for the nobles was on and the marquis fell into the hands of the French and was beheaded on May 12, 1794 on the scaffold at Cambrai, together with other nobles. His son and successor Charles Ghislain Van der Woestine became the last lord and margrave of Beselare. The French Revolution had abolished feudalism. The Marquis, also called the old Marquis or the Kwa Marquis, left the castle on September 7, 1796 and fled abroad. Many of the goods were publicly sold in 1802 and 1803 by the office of notaries Jan Baptiste Meersseman van Beselare and J. Vandermeersch van Ypres. A few years later, the plundered castle was also sold and shortly afterwards (around 1813) demolished. There are still two copper engravings of the former glorious castle, one by J. Milheuser from 1641 and one by an unknown artist. They are located in the convent of the Sisters of Mary in Izegem.

center with beautiful church and town hall