View of La Motte Castle and St. Ulrik's Church

From the castle park of La Motte, a beautiful view unfolds on the neoclassical facade of the 18th century castle and the charming village church of Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle, surrounded by an old orchard. The castle, built on a medieval motte, houses mysterious secret rooms between the floors and exudes historical allure.

Built in 1773, the neoclassical-style castle was designed by the architect Laurent-Benoît Dewez, who designed it for his in-laws. It is unclear where the castle got its name, although it is said to be called 'La Motte', because it was built on a castle motte (= a motte is an earthen mound raised up. Mottes are common from the second quarter of the century 11th century and was intended to strengthen the castle, but also to display power (in Flanders they are often located on a waterway). The large difference in height between the windows of the ground floor and the first floor is striking because there are secret rooms between the two floors. A secret mezzanine is not so unusual in the time before the French Revolution, and was probably also introduced to respect the proportions of the facades. In 1980, the municipality of Dilbeek purchased the castle. In the 1990s, an urgent restoration of the building began.

beautiful view of the church with orchard, from La Motte castle park