Castle of Steenhuize

The Lords of Steenhuyse have always belonged to the highest circles of nobility. The oldest mentioned in a written source is Amelricus in 1155.
The original Lords of Steenhuse ruled the seigneury until 1443, when John of Steenhuse died and all property was inherited by his sister Maria, married to John of Gruuthuse. In 1556, the Gruuthuses were succeeded by the House of Egmont. In 1605, this family sold the entire principality to Jean de Richardot.
After the death of Claude de Richardot's widow in 1752, the castle with its seigneurial estates, including the coveted title of prince, was sold to the de Wolff family. 32 years later, the seigneury gets a new owner: Jean-Baptiste d'Hane (also the owner of the well-known patrician house, now a museum in the Veldstraat in Ghent).
After the French rulers abolished feudalism and all princely privileges, Jean-Baptiste d'Hane's children continued to inhabit the castle: Louis-Emmanuel (until 1861), Eduard-Joseph (until 1873). In 1896, the heirs of the latter d'Hane sold the estate to Achilles de Frenne, a rentier from Rouen in Normandy. After the Second World War, one of the sons de Frenne would operate a flower shop in and around the castle for a while.
In 1978, the castle came into the hands of the Van Waeyenberge family, born in Steenhuizen and well-known industrialists. They turn the domain into the beautiful pearl it has become in 1995.
For centuries, the Lords of Steenhuyse used the exceptional title of 'prince'. The title was probably acquired by Felix van Steenhuyse (1384 - 1424). The real reason is not clear, although there is no doubt that his very special relationship with the Count of Flanders is a decisive explanatory factor. After him, the other possessors of the principality inherit or buy the honorary title. It was not only the status of a principality that made the small Steenhuize a unique seigneury. For a long time, lords and residents enjoyed two special and peculiar privileges, in addition to the usual judicial and seigneurial rights and duties.
On the basis of a charter of 1348 there was exemption from taxes: no authority had the right to levy taxes, fees, tolls,... against the seigneury of Steenhuize. This privilege gave rise to dozens of disputes and lawsuits.
And for a certain period of time there was a right of safe-conduct: on the territory of Steenhuize no one could be prosecuted or arrested, except by the local lord or his officers. The archives (and the folk lore) tell several examples of officers from the Land of Aalst or elsewhere, who themselves ended up in the prison of Steenhuize because they had violated this right. The principality became a refuge for many people "who had something on their mind" from all over the world. This special situation lasted until 1460, when Louis of Gruuthuse, Lord of Steenhuyse, threw all exiles and salt marshes out of his domain. "Since then, serious people have been living at Steenhuize!" claims former mayor and Steenhuizen resident Marcel Van Daele). The original 'house' of the Lords of Steenhuyse was built in a swamp opposite the place where the castle/castle would later be built. It must have been a typical mote, with a surrounding rampart and watering and a fence of pointed wooden posts.
As the enemy's attack techniques improved and the need for more efficient defense grew, a stone castle was erected on the site of the current castle. No images of this primeval castle have survived. During restoration work in the 1980s, however, foundations were uncovered. The old fortress was razed to the ground at the beginning of the turbulent seventeenth century.
From 1626 onwards, Jeanne de Richardot began the construction of a modern castle, which undoubtedly looked a lot more playful and airy than the previous one, even if it initially remained a defensive building.
(By the way, the princess de Richardot usually stayed in her castle in Lembeek and only appeared sporadically in Steenhuize). Antonius Sanderus shows the building in his 'Flandria Illustrata' and clearly shows the irregular façade layout: the façade turret and the baroque porch are not neatly in the middle.
Each corner is adorned by a round turret, which serves partly as a watchtower and partly fulfils the function of a canopy. From each tower there are slopes of the roof, which converge into a sphere, with the emblem of the Richardots at the top.
The brick building, typical of 17th century architecture in Flanders, is surrounded by a double moat, with agricultural plots on the strip between the two water surfaces.
The shape and size of the building has changed little since then. Although it was destroyed more than once by fire or war troubles, but it was always restored to its former glory.
Even the appearance hardly changed: the battlements disappeared and the round turrets were replaced by octagonal ones.
It was not until the twentieth century that the decline set in. Under the de Frenne family, most of the waterwall was dumped. The buildings became dazed.
The saving angels were called Camille and -especially- Piet Van Waeyenberge. On their initiative, the building was transformed into a meeting and seminar centre for the business world, managed by Ecoval SA.
The major restoration works were largely led by artist Maurits Van Saene, who was honoured with the coveted Europa Nostra Award in 1991.

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