Construction Crews Were Building an Apartment Complex—And Found a 500-Year-Old Castle

As you read this story, you will learn the following:

• Preparations for a housing project in Belgium’s Flemish region reveal a lost 16th-century Spanish castle^th century.

• The castle was once a fortress commissioned by Emperor Charles V to consolidate his control over Ghent.

• While uncovering the castle, archaeologists also unearthed numerous artifacts from the Spanish troops who were once stationed there.

Preparations for a new apartment complex in Belgium have finally unearthed hundreds of years of history, with archaeologists uncovering not only 16^thA century-old Spanish castle, but an “archaeological treasure trove” of fragments left behind by Spanish troops who may have once inhabited the fortress.

The Spanish castle that became the highlight of this discovery was commissioned by Emperor Charles V in order to maintain his stronghold over the inhabitants of the city of Ghent. Although the castle eventually fell into ruins, most of the ruins were covered by nearby residential areas in the 19th century.^th According to the Belgian public broadcaster VRT NWS—The fragments of the castle, although lost underground, still exist. But demolition activity to build apartments has exposed it all again.

“This is an archaeological treasure trove,” said archaeologist Robby Vervoort VRT NWS. “We have carried out a preliminary study that has already drawn a number of conclusions and have also dug test pits in the demolished buildings. They have revealed even older finds from stone parts of the castle.”

Vervoort is particularly keen to explore what the team calls the all-encompassing pit. “All kinds of stuff was thrown into the pit,” he said. “The items that are found are usually very well preserved. We scrape away layer after layer to restore the finds as intact as possible.”

While all signs point to the site being home to Spanish soldiers, excavation of this shadowy pit provides the best clues. “Based on the animal remains, seeds and plant pollen we find here, we will be able to find out what the soldiers ate.”

If digging archaeological pits isn’t your thing, there’s also a cemetery here for you to explore. Built by the emperor as a purposeful architectural attack on the people of Ghent who resisted his taxes, the castle sits on top of the former Abbey of Saint Bavo, probably the first building built in Ghent in the seventh century. While only the remains of the church remain, the cemetery remains, Vervoort said, and the team found dozens of medieval skeletons dating to between the 13th century.^th and 16^th centuries.

Glass bowls, wine bottle fragments, ceramics, Roman-era building materials and flint tools were also found at the site. “There must have been people living here,” Verwalt said, “even in prehistoric times.”

As any remains of the monastic buildings have been preserved, the apartment complex will move forward – albeit mostly without basements, so as not to disturb the historic nature of the site. “Parts of the plot have been retained,” Vervoort said. “We will keep everything the same. We believe that future archaeologists will have better tools at their disposal. Then they will be able to continue studying what can still be found there.”

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