Drone images show havoc after 'Erfschandvlek van Vlaanderen' goes up in flames (Wortegem-Petegem)
It was in the night from Saturday to Sunday: around 3 o'clock the emergency services were alerted. Once on the spot was the 18th-century castle of Moregem, a part of Wortegem-Petegem, already in light. The fire brigade could not do little but to let the building burn out in a controlled manner. « We could not approach the castle, in view of an acute danger of collapse, » said fire brigade captain Koen Desmet. « The safety of the men is preceded. »
Once the after -extinguishing works were completed, the damage became clear. The castle was already a ruin, but it still had a roof. After the fire, only the walls remain. The stability of the remains is currently being investigated. There will be consultation with the owner and the heritage services to determine whether the walls are preserved whether a complete degradation is on the agenda.
The castle was already a ruin, but after the fire only the walls are left. – © Belga_plus
Popular among Urban Explorers
The cause of the fire is for the time being. In the dilapidated castle there were no more utilities and therefore no electricity. A short circuit is not possible.The public prosecutor has appointed a fire expert. Evil intent is not excluded. « It will be particularly difficult to find out the cause of the fire, » says Mayor of Wortegem-Petegem Luc Vander Meeren. According to him, the castle is popular among 'Urban Explorers'. « These are people who visit and photograph abandoned buildings. » A glance at Instagram and YouTube confirms that impression. Did such an explorer hit a butt? The investigation will have to show it. « We don't know about squatters, » says the mayor. « The fire certainly raises questions. »
The fire brigade had the building burned out in a controlled manner. An expert must now find out the cause. – © Belga_plus
What also raises questions is the condition of the castle before the fire. In the Flemish heritage inventory, the building is praised for the artistic and historical value « as a particularly illustrative copy of a late 18th-century castle ». According to the inventory, the monument was « characterized by a strict geometric structure, great austerity on ornamentation-externally still Louis XVI style, but internally directoire and transition to Empire style-and a refinement in the decoration of the interiors and anti-marning work, under-l'uiosigations.
« The fire certainly raises questions »
Luc Vander Meeren
Mayor of Wortegem-Petegem
But since the Second World War, when it was badly damaged, the castle has been ruining. The last noble resident was Baroness Ruzette van Caloen de Basseghem and in 1997 the castle and the surrounding park were protected as a village view, although the castle was then in a distant state of decay.
The current owners, who got hold of the castle through a donation, still had to answer for the court in 2013 because they did not restore the heritage. However, they were acquitted because there was no evidence of the condition of the castle when it was protected. As a result, the court could also not judge what state the castle had to be restored.
A drone image shows the damage that the castle sustained. – © Belga_plus
Flemish Minister for Real Heritage Ben Weyts (N-VA) also indicates that the owner did have several reminders to meet the obligation to maintain. Stability measures had to be taken and the building had to be made wind and waterproof. This included, among other things, the braces of walls, cleaning up collapsed parts and the removal of plant growth caused damage.
« Together »
It is important that the castle touches the minds in the region. « This is a shame in terms of heritage and architecture, » says Clair Ysebaert, honorary chairman of the Flemish Liberal Association. “I only live a few hundred meters further. I have seen it deteriorating. In the past a lot of initiatives have been taken, including me, to make it. At a certain moment Willy Naessens also made an offer to make something beautiful out of it. » However, the owner refused that. It is not clear why, nor what it wanted to start with castle. In the past, the family had already attempted to donate the castle to the Flemish government. The same government at the time considered the restoration to be too expensive to be supported by the community.
« This is a shame in terms of heritage and architecture »
Clair Ysebaert
Honorary Chairman of the Flemish Liberal Association
« It's a shame when heritage goes up in flames, » says Dominiek Verkinderen, vice -chairman of the Heemkundige Kring Bouveloo. “We also live not far from it, my wife says it has a heartache. But if we are honest, we must also admit that there are more important buildings and places in the region. ”
