Laarne Castle

Laarne (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈlaːrnə]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Kalken and Laarne proper. On 1 January 2018, Laarne had a total population of 12,487. The total area is 32.07 km². The current mayor of Laarne is Ignace De Baerdemaecker, from the VLD (Liberal) party.

Heusden Castle is a historical site and castle in Heusden, Destelbergen, Belgium. The present structure was built in 1899 on the grounds of a former castle built in the 11th century. The above-ground parts of the old castle were demolished in the 18th century. The moat of the old castle still exists. In 1911, remains of what were probably dungeons were found, and parts of an older building near the moat were restored.

Heusden was a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. In 1977 it merged with the municipality of Destelbergen, of which it is now part. It was mentioned for the first time in the 11th century, by abbot Othejbold. Years after the invasion by the Norsemen, the municipality fell into the hands of the Lords of Heusden. Because of the marriage of Beatrix of Heusden with Zeger III (viscount of Ghent) in 1212, the seat of the viscountship of Ghent moved to Heusden. Until the end of the Ancien Régime Heusden stayed property of the viscounts of Ghent. In 1247 the Cistercian Abbey of Nieuwenbosch settled in Heusden. This cloister flourished until it was destroyed by the Iconoclasts in 1578. After this the sisters moved to Ghent. Because Heusden was a part of the belt of defence around Ghent, it was looted many times during the Middle Ages. This rich history has resulted in a number of castles dotting the area.

The Holy Cross Church is a church in the Belgian sub-municipality of Heusden. The church was built in 1844 on the site of an older church. It is dedicated to the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The organ of the church was protected as a monument in 1980. It has a 1873 case designed by Auguste Van Assche.The church is an example of early Gothic Revival, built on the site of a church, probably from the 17th century. Two paintings by Antoon van den Heuvel (Adoration of the Magi from 1652 in the left aisle and Christ Stripped of His Clothes from 1664 behind the main altar) come from the old church. Also from the old church are two portico altars in white and black marble.The Neo-Gothic furniture dates from the 19th century. The main altar in oak is by Jan Baptist Hauman from Ghent, with sculptures by Pieter De Vigne. Also from the 19th century is another painting, inspired by Van Dyck, by Domien Vanden Bossche from Geraardsbergen. The Neo-Gothic stalls and panelling are also in oak. There is a Neo-Gothic polychrome stone epitaph of Robert Helias d'Huddeghem from 1865, with a sculpture of the Resurrection by Leonard Blanchaert after a design by Jean-Baptiste Bethune.

Bueren Castle is a 16th-century moated castle in Melle-Kwatrecht. The castle domain is 10 hectares and is located in two municipalities.The castle is named after Christophe-Bernard de Bueren, a scion of the Belgian noble family de Bueren.

The Brasserie des Rocs (formerly known as Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs) is a brewery in Montignies-sur-Roc, Belgium. Founded in 1979, the company brews ales in the traditional Belgian style. Their Triple Imperiale, a tripel without added sugars, was the Chicago Tribune's "Beer of the Month" in 2007. Their Blonde, a blonde ale, got first place in a test of 23 Belgian ales in The New York Times.Their beers are exported to various countries, including Japan and the United States.

Huyghe Brewery (Dutch: Brouwerij Huyghe) is a brewery founded in 1906 by Leon Huyghe in the city of Melle in East Flanders, Belgium. Its flagship beer is Delirium Tremens, a golden ale.

Ocket Castle (Dutch: Kasteel Ocket) is a house, on the site of a castle, in Heusden, Destelbergen, East Flanders, Belgium. It probably originated on the former fief of Grooten Hoek that lasted until the 15th century. The castle was depicted on a 1725 map by PJ Benthuys as a building with a moat near the Scheldt and is mentioned in 1767 as a "partije genaemt den grieten hoeck met de mote ende huys van playsance". The present Neoclassical building dates largely from the 18th and 19th centuries but contains a dining room on the east side that in the 17th/18th century was the core of the structure, as was established among other things from the beams and the Rococo stucco decorations.Both the building itself and the surrounding grounds have been listed as cultural heritage since 2009.

Destelbergen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌdɛstəlˈbɛrɣə(n)] (listen)) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Destelbergen proper and Heusden and was created on 1 January 1977, by the fusion of these two municipalities. Its western border touches the municipality of Ghent and Melle and is formed by an ancient silted up branch of the river Scheldt. In 2021, Destelbergen had a total population of 18,683. The total area is 26.71 km2 (10 sq mi).Attractions are the many residential castles, a Gaulish farmhouse, and the Damvallei nature reserve.

Castle Stas De Richele (once known as Hof en leen ter Aelmeersch) is a castle located in Heusden, Belgium. The castle is in a location near the Scheldt that in the Middle Ages was a site with moats. Joris van Crombrugghe, lord of Poeke, had a new huys van plaisance built in the fief of Aelmeersch in the 17th century. By 1725, according to PJ Benthuys' 1725 map, the now castle belonged to the lord of Boelare (of the van Crombrugghe family). It had by then become a castle with an elaborated moat. It belonged to Mr Morel from Ghent in the second half of the 18th century, and it passed to E. Coppens by the end of the same century. In 1837 the site changed hands, as baron C. Coppens exchanged this estate with other landholdings in Heusden and Melle with dowager Coleta Du Rot.The castle as it appears today is neoclassical in style, the result of an enlargement that took place after 1830 and before 1858. The floor and plaster ceilings date from the mid-18th century.To the south of this castle park, opposite the parish church, there are the ruins of the Kasteel ter Kerchove, a castle dating to the Middle Ages. It belonged to the de Grutere family in the 15th century, and via marriage passed to the van Crombrugghe family in the 16th century. Moats and the basement have been preserved.

Nieuwenbosch Abbey, also Nieuwenbos Abbey (Dutch: Abdij Nieuwenbosch or Nieuwenbos) was a Cistercian nunnery in Heusden, East Flanders, Belgium, later relocated to Ghent.

Melle (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɛlə] ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Gontrode and Melle proper. On 1 January 2018 Melle had a total population of 11,574. The total area is 15.21 km² which gives a population density of 761 inhabitants per km². Melle was mentioned in documents in 830, although the archeological findings prove the region was inhabited long before that date. The name Melle has two possible derivations: the Celtic word melina means "brown water"; the prehistoric name Melinos means "honey yellow". The village of Melle consists of three regions: Melle-Centre, Melle-Vogelhoek and Gontrode (since the fusion in 1976). One of its famous products is the Delirium Tremens beer, bottled by the Huyghe brewery. This beer is exported worldwide and was voted "Best beer in the world" in 1998 at the World Beer Championships in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Miss Belgium 2000, Joke van de Velde grew up and went to high school in Melle. The College van de paters Jozefieten, founded in 1837 by canon Constant Van Crombrugghe is known all around the country. Several Belgian and international celebrities went to this school (e.g. Cédric Van Branteghem (runner), a brother of Princess Mathilde). It was the first school in Belgium where a commercial science and an industrial science course were offered. An Irish student brought along a football in 1863. This was the first football to reach the European continent. The village gained more national fame thanks to the TV show Schalkse Ruiters, which featured host Bart De Pauw playing a comedy character named The Man from Melle and who claimed to be from the (then non-existent) Koekoekstraat nr. 70 in Melle. At a certain point the city council decided to name one of their new streets Koekoekstraat and painted a door with house number 70 on the wall.