The castle of Beersel is one of the few well-kept examples of a Middle Age fortified castle.  It still looks the same as it did at the end of the 15th century.  Beersel was built by Godfried Van Hellebeke between 1300 and 1310 to protect Brussels.  It was partly rebuilt in 1489 and the peaked roofs are from another restoration.  The castle, with its moats, high, thick walls and towers was a stronghold and almost impossible to conquer. 

Following various attacks on the castle, it eventually fell into the hands of quite a few owners, including a cotton factory that occupied it in 1818.  They didn't maintain it and deterioration began.  In 1928 the last owners donated the castle to a historical alliance that restored old castles.  This alliance kept everything that was still standing and rebuilt everything that was destroyed.  Visiting the castle today is like going back in time to the Middle Ages.