Castle of Ribaucourt: A Feudal Castle near Perk, Belgium
Site at a Glance
- Popularity
- Medium
- Country
- Belgium
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Duchy of Brabant, Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Castle
On this page8 sections
History
The Castle of Ribaucourt is a historic castle near Perk in Flemish Brabant, Belgium. It probably began in the 12th century as a feudal motte, a raised earth mound used as the base for a fortified residence, with a wooden tower as its only structure. Later lords enlarged the castle, which became the seat of successive families from South Brabant.
Medieval origins and successive lords
The Van Schoten family held the castle by 1192. Godefridus van Schoten, described as the first lord of Perk, appears in the 1196 Charter of Liberties of Vilvoorde, a medieval document setting out rights associated with Vilvoorde. Ownership later passed among several families. In 1400, the de Baronaige family inherited the castle. Frederik de Marselaer became lord of Perk in 1626 through his marriage to Margareta de Baronaige. After the last male member of the de Marselaer family died childless in 1718, the estate passed to the Van Steelant family. Perk used that family’s coat of arms as its municipal arms until the 1977 municipal merger.
Visiting princes and royal guests
In 1696, the Prince of Nassau-Saarbrücken, a principality in the Holy Roman Empire, stayed at the castle while serving as a general in the armies of the United Provinces, the Dutch Republic. On 9 May 1746, Louis XV, king of France, also stayed there, shortly after his ceremonial entry into Brussels.
From private estate to wartime headquarters
During the French period in Belgium, when revolutionary and Napoleonic governments ruled the region, French officer Pierre-Antoine Bounder van Melsbroek bought the castle in 1809. He sold it in 1833 to Prosper Christyn de Ribaucourt, a senator from Dendermonde and member of the Christyn de Ribaucourt family. The estate remained the family’s principal base into the 21st century. Family members were born and died there, and three served as mayor of the municipality.
During the Second World War, British General Miles Dempsey led the Battle of Arnhem from the castle. The battle was a major Allied operation in the Netherlands in 1944. In 2007, Count Daniel de Ribaucourt, the family’s last resident at the castle, died unmarried. Count Paul de Lannoy and his family then took over the property and made it their home. The municipality of Steenokkerzeel has since referred to the estate as the Castle of Perk.
Remains
Estate layout
Tree-lined drive
The castle stood apart from the village and was linked to it by a long, tree-lined drive that curved toward Perk church. Four rows of trees divided the approach into three lanes. The central lane was reserved for the nobility and distinguished guests, while visitors of lower rank used the two side lanes.
Park
A 40-hectare park surrounds the castle. Its layout changed through several redesigns, from a formal arrangement inspired by French parks to an English-style design.
