Just outside the village center of Widooie, on Kasteelweg, lies the beautifully preserved Widooie Castle: a secluded castle farm with deep historical roots. Four wings surrounding a rectangular courtyard form a harmonious whole, with marlstone bands, ornate wall anchors, and a stately gate dating from 1662 where the coat of arms of Richard Vaes still proudly stands. The corner tower, the classically renovated residential wing, and the 17th-century barns together tell the story of a place where generations have come and gone for centuries.
The Castle of Widooie is a castle in Widooie in the Belgian municipality of Tongeren in the province of Limburg. The castle is located on the Kasteelweg. The castle is located west of the village center near the source of the Mombeek.
The Castle of Widooie is a castle farm and forms a closed whole consisting of four wings around a rectangular courtyard. Part of the castle has a moat and is surrounded by a park on the south side and meadows on the other sides.
Buildings
The main building consists of three parts; the gatehouse, the house and the stable block. The gatehouse in the west wing has two storeys and is built of brick. The building is covered by a gable roof and has corner bands, bacon bands and window frames made of marlstone and curled wall anchors to decorate the facade. In the lower storey there is a basket arch gate with a rectangular limestone frame. The coat of arms of Richard Vaes is also carved in limestone in the center above the gate, this image dates from 1662.
The house is located on the south side. The brick building has two storeys and is nine bays long. This wing is covered by a gable roof, however, above the bay adjacent to the western corner tower is a hipped roof. As with the gatehouse, corner bands, bacon bands and marlstone window frames and curled wall anchors are used to decorate the facade. The appearance of the house is the result of thorough adaptation works in the 18th century.
The square corner tower at the junction of the gatehouse and the house has three storeys and is covered by a tent roof topped with a four-sided ridge turret.
The stable complex consists of two buildings located on the eastern and northern sides of the complex. The north wing is a cross barn from the 17th century, built in brick and covered by a gable roof, the side wall of which narrows gradually towards the top. The east wing is also a brick building with a gable roof. Both wings date from the 17th century.
History and residents
In 1559, the castle of Widooie was leased out to Godfried van Bocholt, lord of Grevenbroek, by Abbot Charles I of Bourbon of Corbie Abbey. In 1588 the castle comes into the possession of Hendrik Vaes. After the French Revolution, the castle came into the possession of different families such as the Grisard, Blochaise, De Coen, Van Aken and De Schaetzen families. Historically, Widooie Castle is strongly linked to the nearby Terhove Castle.
The castle belonged to the goods of the abbey of Corbie, which were given in leasehold by the abbot to Godfried van Bocholtz in 1559. The castle was sold in 1588 to Hendrik Vaes-Valck, mayor of Tongeren. He began rebuilding the castle. The work was completed by Richard Vaes-van den Hove, as indicated on the facade stone with his coat of arms above the entrance gate (1662). It is said that the actual castle extended south of the current buildings, on the site of the current garden, and was completely destroyed in a fire in 1670 and not rebuilt. The castle remained in the possession of the Vaes family until 1816. See also: inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/erfgoedobjecten/37615
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