Moorsel was owned by the chapter of Dendermonde, probably from 868 on. One of the largest landowners in the region was the Abbey of Affligem, who possessed the church and the parish of Moorsel. Abbot Karl de Croy, Bishop of Tournai, built a water castle at Moorsel in 1546. The renaissance castle is still preserved in its original condition. The castle is constructed was intended as a summer residence for the Karl de Croy.
References:The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Ĺ aloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.