The Donjon Ter Heyden, also known as tower or castle of Ter Heyden, is a residential tower in Rotselaar dating from the middle of the fourteenth century. The donjon was built between 1350 and 1363 by order of Gerard van der Heyden, the then drossaard of the Duchy of Brabant, when he acquired the status and the funds to erect a structure of such caliber through a marriage to a noblewoman.
Although donjons originally had a military function, in the late Middle Ages they were mainly built as status symbols, because of the associations with nobility and chivalry. The Ter Heyden donjon was thus primarily intended to be lived in.
The donjon differs from other donjons, which are usually built on a motte, in that it is directly surrounded by a moat. The tower rests on a pedestal of white sandstone, is built of brick, is 30 meters high and has six floors in the shape of a Greek cross.
On the ground floor was the lord's reception room. Below that are two basement floors and above that two spacious living quarters. The top floor functioned as a bedroom.
Originally, the tower had a flat roof with a weatherboard. The spire with the pear-shaped turret was not added until the seventeenth century by the noble Eynatten family, who acquired the estate in 1619.[3]
In 1870, the keep was purchased by the Duke of Arenberg, who mistakenly assumed that it was a remnant of the castle of Rotselaar, which had belonged to his ancestors. The domain was leased by the brewer family Smedts, who installed a brewery in the adjoining mansion. The fireplace next to the mansion is a reminder of this economic activity.
The current owners are descendants of that brewing family. (Wiki)