Did you know there are more castles (sometimes referred to as chateaus) per square mile in Belgium than in any other place in the world? For anyone who has ventured even a little out into the Belgian countryside, this is no surprise!

Castle Gravensteen

Some castles are now museums and public domains. Others have been converted into event venues and are only open to the general public during certain times of year. And some are still privately owned and inhabited, and may or may not offer tours.

95. Chateau de la Hulpe

Some castles have been rebuilt and recreated, such as Castle Gravensteen in Ghent, or Beersel Castle just off of the ring road around Brussels. Some have fallen into ruin, never to regain their former glory and a lucky few have found saviors working (and providing funding) to revive them.

79. Beersel Castle

And then there are those that have been maintained and cared for over a multitude of generations, decades and in some cases, centuries. No matter your preference, there is most likely a castle or château that catches your fancy and stirs your imagination.

57. Bouillon Castle

Last year I was fortunate enough to visit quite a few around Belgium. I have merely scratched the surface in this area, but a very lovely surface it was!

In the fall, just before a majority of tourist destinations in Belgium go to sleep for the winter, I jumped at the chance to tour the Chateau d’Attre, located in the quaint little village I have driven through numerous times on my way to the commissary.

109. Chateau D’Attre

Castle Attre was built in 1752 on the foundation of a previous castle from the 15th century and is still privately owned and lived in. The castle and its grounds are only open to the public on Sundays from April to September, but they are willing to work with groups to provide tours on other days of the week when asked.

Private Altar

While the house and its interior is lovely and full of great details and curiosities, I fell in love with the grounds! My friend Sarah and I braved the drizzle to explore a bit and man are we so glad we did. She’s super patient with me as I spend lots of time photographing the fall foliage and on one such stop I happened to look behind us and noticed a cave opening. We looked at each other, asked “Do we dare?” and took off into the unknown (having seen a spot of light in the distance first!).

The Entrance

We emerged at the base of an amazing ruin! Having read absolutely nothing about the castle or the grounds, we weren’t sure what we had stumbled onto, but we knew it was cool. We spent the next hour (the rain had stopped – seriously people you gotta learn to soldier on. The rain is rarely constant here) climbing around this odd old building and having the time of our lives.

It turns out that the ruins were not ruins at all, but a feature that was built to look like old castle ruins in the 1800’s for the castles residents and their visitors. But, wait – that’s still pretty freaking old! Whatever its origins, it was still pretty cool and a setting for all kinds of fun and make-believe.

Next time on Arklahoma Muse I will take you to Gaasbeek Castle, located just off the ring road and close the Neuhaus Chocolate Factory!