Kasteel Hogemeyer
THE ABANDONED CASTLE IN BELGIUM
The history of ‘Kasteel Hogemeyer’ goes back to 1323. The castle in the village Kersbeek-Miskom was expanded en rebuild several times. The castle was eventually sold in 2019 to a new owner after many years of abandonment.
The first building on these grounds was ‘Hof van Landeloos’. It was a farm built in 1323 and the home of a wealthy family. Meanwhile, towards the end of the 18th century, Gabriel-Michel-François de l’Escaille lived here. During 1750 the farm is reconverted to a manor house and in 1860 the house was expanded by baron Emile Joseph de Turck, grandson of De l’Escaille. Also around 1859 the baron added a neo-gothic chapel.
The chapel is one of the last additions to the castle, together with the stables and the inner yard. A far too expensive renovation was stopped in 1999 leaving the buildings abandoned. Since then, the castle was looted and vandalized. With no protection for the influences of the weather, it was also partly in a very bad state.
Eventually in 2001 the castle and the surrounding garden and trees are protected. The site was renovated in 2019. I photographed ‘Kasteel Hogemeyer’ during my visit in 2011. Follow this link for more abandoned castles.
