Kasteel Drie Koningen

Beernem, Belgium, Belgium

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Kasteel Drie Koningen is a historic castle in the village of Beernem, in West Flanders, Belgium, located on the street Drie Koningen next to the provincial domain Lippensgoed-Bulskampveld.

The castle was built in 1802 by Baron Franciscus (François) de Serret van Outryve d’Ydewalle on the highest point of the estate, an old hill called “De Hooge Maere” or “Meerberg,” and was originally named after that hill before taking the name Drie Koningen from a tavern that had stood at the nearby crossing of an ancient road since at least 1565.

The building is a striking example of neoclassical or Empire architecture, said to have been constructed partly with materials salvaged from the demolished Sint-Donaaskerk in Bruges, and features a central dome and a symmetrical façade. The estate originally belonged entirely to the Discalced Carmelites, and the castle and its 20-hectare park were later used by the order; from the 1950s until 1982 the castle hosted famous “kunstweekends” (art weekends) that attracted leading figures from the Flemish art world.