Viconia Castle Farm

The history of the farm goes back to the 12th century, when a sheepfold was built on higher ground between the salt marshes and mud flats of the Yser. In 1161 the cage was taken over by Premonstratensian abbey of Vicogne in France and expanded to 130 hectares. The pastures were later surrounded by dikes and ramparts making it an important center for sheep farming.
The area fell into disrepair during the Wars of Religion in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the 18th century there was a revival that lasted until 1794 when all church possessions became state property and were sold publicly. At that time, the whole of the parts sold consisted of: a monastery, a chapel, a house of the keeper, a farm with barns, a forge, a wagon workshop, houses for the staff, a windmill, sheep and horse stables, a sawmill, wood warehouses, bird cages and small livestock sheds, with a total area of 219 hectares.
The domain mainly came into the hands of the De Smet and De Grave families and around 1900 the area was parceled out. The castle and farm were then owned by the Vernier-Valentin family from Roubaix. Degrave leased it well then. He was also mayor of the municipality and had the new parish church built near the domain.
During the Battle of the Yser, the castle was taken by the German occupiers as an outpost in October 1914. The castle was completely destroyed during the war. After the war, it was rebuilt in 1925 under the direction of the architect Camille van Elslande.

The history of the farm goes back to the 12th century, when a sheepfold was built on higher ground between the salt marshes and mud flats of the Yser. In 1161 the cage was taken over by the Premonstratensian Abbey of Vicogne in France and extended to 130 hectares. The meadows were later surrounded by dikes and ramparts, making it an important center for sheep farming. The area fell into disrepair during the wars of religion of the 16th and 17th centuries. In the 18th century, there was a revival that lasted until 1794, when all church possessions became state property and were sold to the public. At that time, the whole of the parts sold consisted of: a monastery, a chapel, a house of the keeper, a farm with barns, a forge, a wagon workshop, houses for the staff, a windmill, sheep and horse stables, a sawmill, wood warehouses, bird cages and small livestock sheds, with a total area of 219 hectares.
The domain mainly came into the hands of the De Smet and De Grave families and around 1900 the area was parceled out. The castle and the farm then became the property of the Vernier-Valentin family from Roubaix. Degrave leased it well then. He was also mayor of the municipality and had the new parish church built near the domain. During the "Battle of the Yser", the castle was taken by the German occupiers as an outpost in October 1914. The castle was completely destroyed during the war. After the war, it was rebuilt in 1925 under the direction of the architect Camille van Elslande.