에케‬에서 가장 멋진 ‪6‬개의 동굴

A beautiful, spacious park with grassy areas and clumps of woods. Plenty of space for a relaxing break.

a nice little walk...

This castle was the seat of the lordship of Flêtre. The Van Vleteren family ruled here, succeeded in 1364 by the Van Houtte family. Between 1364 and 1380, Jan van Houtte had a fortified castle built. It was equipped with a wooden gallery between the castle and the freestanding tower, from which the soldiers could hurl projectiles at the besiegers. Later, as military technology advanced, these were replaced by machicolations. In 1532, the lordship passed through marriage to the Wignacourt family. In 1656, Flêtre, under Jacob van Wignacourt, was elevated to a county. The last Count of Flêtre, Balthasar-Philippe de Wignacourt, died in poverty in 1810. During the French Revolution, the castle was expropriated and largely demolished to reuse the building materials. However, the keep was so massive that demolition was decided against. In the early 19th century, the estate was purchased by an industrialist, who built a house on the site of the demolished castle and converted the keep into a reception hall, with Louis XV-style wall paneling. Later, the estate was purchased by Edmond Vanuxem, a brewer in Ardres. He commissioned the construction of the current brick castle, completed in 1872. After the First World War, the moats were filled in. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasteel_van_Wignacourt

superb park to visit with the family

The panoramic terrace of the Château de Cassel offers a breathtaking view of the Flanders plain. You can see the mill, the monument of the Three Battles and the old crypt. All are emblematic places of the site. On the way back down the alpine ramp, a tavern awaits walkers for a friendly break.

At 176 metres high, this is the highest point in the area. It is a former castle terrace and until 1788, the St. Peter's Church stood here, of which remains of the crypt are still present. The belvedere is also a viewpoint. The Roman highways that can be seen from here and that fan out in all directions are spectacular.

From 1 June to 29 September 2024, the region will host the land art festival "ArtPenteurs". One of the works is "M for Marguerite", of course placed here in the park. (If you are standing with your back to the villa: about 50 metres further on, turn left)

Marguerite Yourcenar (1903-1987), the celebrated writer of, among others, "Het hermetisch zwart" (The Hermetic Black) and "Hadrianus' Herinnerschriften", refers to this place of her youth in many of her works. In interviews towards the end of her life, she repeatedly stated that it was her wish to protect this piece of nature. This was worked on from 1986 onwards. The villa in the 50-hectare park is now a writer's residence. In the vicinity of the villa there are many signs with quotes from famous authors.