Castle of Mesen or Kasteel van Mesen was built near the town of Lede in Belgium. The castle was Destroyed and raised again several times and the last reconstruction was around 1628. It was initially built as a stronghold and served as a royal house for a long time. The property belonged to the Bette family from the 16th to the 18th century. The building ceased to be used as a living space in 1796. During the 1800’s the castle was repurposed and used for the development of local industry. It was used as a gin distillery, a tobacco factory and a sugar refinery, in different periods.
The castle was located in the middle of the town of Lede, surrounded by a seven-acre park, which is protected by huge walls. In 1897, this property was purchased by Kannunikessen nuns from Jupille (now Liège). The religious order enriched the castle grounds with an impressive Gothic Revival chapel 1905. They also turned the castle into a boarding school. After WWI, the school was under the jurisdiction of “Institute Royal de Messines”.
From 1914 up until the late 1960’s, the castle of Mesen was still used. It was used as an elitist boarding school for french speaking girls. Besides the academic lessons, they were taught about the etiquette of high society, about the managing of people and how to do proper housework. Thе school wаѕ financed bу thе Belgian aristocracy. The girls had a very strict schedule, their days began really early, wіth a Mass аt 7 am, followed by exhausting activities up until the evening. The classes were tough and the school board demanded strict Victorian discipline.
There were around 150 students in the school at that time, and they were allowed only one visit per month and they could only return home for one month per year. It pretty much sounds like a prison, when you consider the walls around the castle grounds too.
Thе educational process took the students 13 years tο complete. They were admitted to the school as 5-year-old girls and eventually left thе school аѕ 18-year-οƖԁ ambassadors οf high society.
The school was eventually closed down. After that, the governing of Castle Mesen was passed to the Belgian Ministry of Defence. The castle soon started to decay because of neglect. They estimated that the restoration will be very expensive and they left it exposed to looting and destruction, instead of protecting it as a historical monument. The conservationists from the country lost the battle and a final decision was made for the castle to be destroyed. This amazing building was demolished and erased from the face of the earth. The demolition began in 2010 and At the City Council of December 19, 2013, the municipality Lede decided to completely demolish all of the castle facilities.
These photos of the abandoned and ruined Castle Mesen are showing the silhouette of its former glory. Today, they are small a reminder of what this place represented in the past.
Source: opacity, desertedplaces, behance