Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Goeulzin, mentioned in 1310 as a fortress, was burned under Philip the Bel and rebuilt by Enguerrand de Goeulzin. Located in the valley of the Sensée, it marked the border between the Ostrevent, the Artois and the Hainaut, areas disputed between Flanders, Artois and Hainaut in the 10th–12th centuries. The castle played a defensive role until the 16th century, where it was severely damaged during the village fires in 1521 and 1582.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Charles-Albert de Longueval, Count of Bucquoy, rebuilt it in brick and stone on the medieval bases, transforming the site into a castle of pleasure. The park, initially close to a hunting area, was redeveloped, while the moat, fed by the Sensée, isolated the estate. The seigneury then passed to the Pronvilles, then to Pierre Taffin, attorney general of Hainaut, whose son Jean-Charles-Louis began in 1763 the construction of an original tower combining ice and dove.

In the 19th century, Louis Taffin d'Heursel modernized the castle under the Second Empire, adding a neo-Gothic gallery and a landscaped park with water parts. Occupied and looted by the Germans during World War I, the castle was then abandoned, its moat partially filled. The ruins, including three towers and the Flemish gable façade, were listed in the Historical Monuments in 2007, while the ice-columbing tower had been in 2002.

The estate, once spread over 25 hectares, now retains only 3.5 hectares, including a wood and a pond. The commons, separated into two properties, bear witness to the ancient medieval courtyard. The architecture mixes French and Flemish influences, with defensive elements (archeries, talute bases) and residential additions (balcony, curved windows).

The Sensée valley, once a strategic area, lost its military role after the French annexation of Burgundy territories. The castle thus illustrates the evolution of medieval fortifications into aristocratic residences, while bearing the stigma of conflicts, especially those of the Great War. Its heritage inscription highlights the historical value of its remains, from the 13th to the 19th century.

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