Groot-Bijgaarden Castle

Groot-Bijgaarden Castle (Dutch: Kasteel van Groot-Bijgaarden; French: Château de Grand-Bigard) is a 12th-century castle in Groot-Bijgaarden in the municipality of Dilbeek, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The castle was built for Almaric de Bigard, the first lord of Bigard. Groot-Bijgaarden Castle is situated at an elevation of 47 metres (154 ft).

The castle was built by the lords of Bijgaarden. The first whose name is known, an Amelricus (or Almaric) de Bigard who appears in 1110, obtained the domain from St. Bavo's Abbey. A successor, Arnulfus III, probably ordered the construction of the first castle in the early 12th century, a motte castle designed to protect the southern lands (in Kobbegem they owned a second domain and castle).

In the early 14th century, the family died out with a double-cross marriage: Floris and Katharina van Bijgaarden married Katharina and Willem II Veele, called Rongman. With their children dividing the possessions in 1347, the lordship came into the hands of a new house. A descendant, Willem IV Rongman, lord of Bijgaard, was alderman of Brussels (1418) and was made captain of the city by Philip the Good to put down the crafts rebellion of 1421–22. He took the oath in April 1422 and was granted the Hôtel Ostrevant on the Place de la Monnaie/Muntplein. On 21 December 1423, Willem was relieved of his duties by John IV, Duke of Brabant, and a few days later, he had to return the keys of the city gates, his deed of appointment, and the grant deed of the Hôtel Ostrevant to the city magistrate.

In 1486, Willem (or Guillaume) Estor acquired the castle and the Bijgaard lordship. He came from an old Brussels family (alderman in 1475) and bore the Berthout coat of arms. His grandson Jan (or Jean) Estor and his mother Margriete van Baenst flirted with Protestantism under the influence of their confidant Antonio de Laymant. After coming into the sights of the authorities in the spring of 1546, the situation escalated on Christmas Day due to improper behaviour in the parish church. Bailiff Guillaume le Tourneur came to besiege mother and son with 30 soldiers in their castle. After 36 hours, the keep was on fire and both surrendered. A long trial followed in which their defence was of no avail: they were beheaded in January 1548 in the courtyard of Vilvoorde Castle and their goods were confiscated.

Text adapted from “Groot-Bijgaarden Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Groot-Bijgaarden Castle ranks #6,427 of 8,764 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #103 of the 120 mapped in Belgium. Founded 1300, it is older than 63% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 906 atlas entries founded in the 13th century. 15 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Brussels, 7 km away. See how Belgium compares in the castle statistics.

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