Bouchout Castle

Bouchout Castle is a medieval moated fortress in Meise, Flemish Brabant, whose origins trace to around 1150, when the first fortification was most likely built by Wouter van Craaynem in the aftermath of the Grimbergen Wars — a period of intense rivalry between the young Duchy of Brabant, the County of Flanders, and the Berthout lords of Grimbergen. Perched at 32 metres above the surrounding flatlands and ringed by a water moat, the castle commanded one of the most contested border zones in medieval Flanders. Today the protected structure stands within the National Botanic Garden of Belgium in Meise, one of Europe's largest botanical gardens, making it a rare combination of medieval masonry and landscaped parkland.