Belgium · 13th century
The Prinsenhof (Dutch; literally "Princes' Court") or Hof ten Walle was a historic building in Ghent, East Flanders in Belgium. It served as the official residence of the Counts of Flanders from the 15th century after the Gravensteen fell into disuse, having previously been the home of the financier Simon de Mirabello. It was completely rebuilt by Louis II, Count of Flanders and became the residence of Philip the Handsome and Joanna of Castile. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor was born there in 1500, who then used it as his residence in the city, calling the States General of the Netherlands to sit in the castle in 1517 and 1521. Today only the postern gate survives.
Text adapted from “Prinsenhof, Ghent” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Prinsenhof ranks #1,515 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #13 of the 128 mapped in Belgium. Founded c. 1250, it is older than 67% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 1080 atlas entries founded in the 13th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 4,976 times in the last 60 days, more than 86% of the atlas. 7 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Ghent, 1 km away. See how Belgium compares in the castle statistics.
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