Olsene Castle

Olsene has a reputation in the history books for being a 'witch village'. In his book 'The Fight with the Devil: Witches in Flanders' (1999), Fernand Vanhemelryck even mentions Olsene a dozen times in connection with witch trials. There is even talk of a witches' sabbath in the 1660s in Olsene. The witches held their diabolical dances and meetings at the 'toveressencnock' (the sorcerer's corner) on the Ghent-Kortrijk road. Around 1660, witch trials were held in Olsene and people were burned at the stake. In anticipation, they were imprisoned in the courtyard of the Hof Ter Wallen, the current castle of Olsene, which dates back to the end of the 11th century. The woods or groves between Olsene Grot and the current Nieuwe Leie used to be called the 'witches' forests'.

Dromos