Laarne Castle is a moated castle established in the 11th or 12th century to guard the approaches to Ghent from the sea. It was comprehensively renovated in the 17th century.
Today the castle is partly used as a museum displaying a wonderful collection of tapestries, furniture, weapons and silverware. This beautiful castle is one of the best-preserved fortifications in Flanders.
The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.