Belgium · 16th century
Alden Biesen is a 16th-century castle in the small village of Rijkhoven, municipality of Bilzen, province of Limburg, Belgium.
The castle is used today as a cultural centre and conference centre. Festivals including the Scottish weekend and the International Story Festival are held there. "European Classes" are also held there to foster international learning and student collaboration. The first ever RSPBA Major Pipe Band Championship held outside the UK was the European Pipe Band Championships held there in September 2003.
In addition to the moated castle, the complex contains a church and gardens.
The knights of the Teutonic Order founded the Landcommanderij Alden Biesen ("commandery of Alden Biesen") in the 11th century, but the current buildings were constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was the headquarters of a bailiwick or province of the Teutonic Order in the region of the Maas and Rhine. On 8 March 1971 the building burnt down; it was acquired by the government, and restored.
Text adapted from “Alden Biesen Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Alden Biesen Castle ranks #2,040 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #21 of the 128 mapped in Belgium. Founded c. 1550, it is older than 37% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 891 atlas entries founded in the 16th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 2,967 times in the last 60 days, more than 78% of the atlas. 33 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Hasselt, 16 km away. See how Belgium compares in the castle statistics.
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