Former Castle of Loonbeek

Former castle of the Van der Vorst family. The lordship of Loonbeek belonged to the van Wilren family in the 14th century, and to the lords of Huldenberg in the 15th century; in the year 1500 Wouter van Huldenberg sold this property to Chancellor Jan Van der Vorst; The then castle with its appurtenances would have almost completely gone up in flames during the Wars of Religion. In 1663 Loonbeek was elevated to a barony in favour of Filips Van der Vorst; his descendants stayed there until the end of the ancien regime and then emigrated to Germany. After the Revolution, the various owners soon succeeded each other, the castle remained uninhabited for a long time and was deprived of its mobile air after the First World War; some of the buildings were demolished and the canals filled in; today used as a tenant court.
Formerly moat and partly walled domain on the Yssche. Part of the fence wall of the 17th century with a monumental, already classicist tinted entrance gate with coat of arms of the Van der Vorst family (copy) has been preserved to this day. Against the wall on the neerhof side, wagon house, storage room and so on in the form of a beautiful pilaster portico, crowned with a high entablement; angled stable wing in traditional style. On the forecourt, U-shaped castle of the 17th century, in traditional baking and sandstone style, main building mounted between side wings, each with an excellent, square corner tower with constricted spire and pear crowning. Curved gable roof constructions on ornate wooden modillons. On the neerhof side, baking and sandstone risalite with horizontally articulated in and out swinging façade crowning ending on a pediment and coat of arms by Karel Van der Vorst; year 1724 on the broker. In 1830 the right side wing and the two towers were demolished (left tower hull partially preserved) and in 1870 the canals were filled in.

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