Chateau Rochendaal

There is not much info to found about castle Rochendaal. The castle was built in 1881 by the lawyer Jean-Henri-Paul Ulens. Ulens was mayor of the city of Sint-Truiden from 1878-1891.

All was going great for the castle and the park it’s in, until WWII came about. The Germans were all too happy to use the castle and its surroundings for “military purposes”. There were barracks on the property and a small airstrip which made it really attractive to use it for somewhat the same purposes as the Belgian army had been using it: airforce training and stationing. Sint-Truiden was also a tactical city, so only good points so far. And it gets better… There was a luxurious villa on the property with a big park! The villa was transformed to a 357434854734 star officers lounge/casino. The castle is a building with many artifacts. The beautiful details on the ceiling, the wooden tigerheads on the fireplace and the view on the outside are marvellous.

Later the castle is bought by the government. It is added to the Barbanson quarter, a military school of the Belgium air force. In 1996 the place is closed down.

This location had also been on our minds for quite a long time, but due to transportation issues (we were just 2 poor urbexers with no car nor a driving licence) we had to postpone the visit. But when I got my driving licence last Tuesday it was only a matter of days. Hopped in the car, parked in the neighbourhood 1 block away and sneaked through the fence (now that I think of it… there wasn’t really a fence, just a bunch of “keep out” signs). The barracks and the park are interesting and give you an idea of how military life back in those days was, but the castle itself is just astonishing. Breathtaking. Mind dazzling. And in a surprisingly good state too!