If you are new to Belgium, chances are that you haven’t heard yet of Rupelmonde, a small village in the eastern part of Flanders. At the crossing of the rivers Rupel and Scheldt, Rupelmonde was the location of a large moated castle in the 12th century. It served the Count of Flanders in his defense against Holland and Brabant. When Philip the Bold unified Flanders and Brabant in 1389 under the Burgundian Netherlands, the castle lost its military function and was converted into a prison.
It served as such until 1657, after which it was abandoned and quickly decayed. Nobody cared much for it, probably because of the atrocities committed in it during almost 3 centuries. By the 19th century, little remained. In 1817, Baron de Felz had the site cleared and constructed a tower to be used as a hunting pavillon. This tower currently hosts a small museum on Renaissance scientists, with special focus on Mercator, who was born in Rupelmonde 500 years ago.
All that remains of Mercator in the village is a statue and a commemorative plaque at his place of birth. To learn about the great cartographer, it’s probably better to visit the Mercator Museum in nearby Sint-Niklaas.
What is worth the detour when in the neighbourhood, is a 16th century water mill, running on the tides of the river Scheldt. Already in the middle ages, a mill operated on this site. The building dates from 1517. The current, 6-meter wheel was installed in 1924 and is the largest indoor water wheel in Europe. The 8-ton construction can provide 17.5 kW of power.
The mill is unique in Europe and fully operational. Grain is milled about 10 times per month during the tourist season (see calendar).
