First-year archaeology students at Leuven University have made some surprising finds during excavations in the courtyard of Arenberg Castle in Heverlee (Leuven – Flemish Brabant). Excavations yielded clear traces of the stronghold Arenberg Castle still was in the 15th century.
It’s been a well-kept secret until now, the remains of Arenberg Castle in Heverlee near Leuven. Drawings of what may have been lying underground have existed for some time, but they were contradictory. Now some clarity has been established. After a lot of lobbying, first-year archaeology students at Leuven University were able to set to work there for an entire week in order to uncover the secrets of Arenberg Castle.
Bulwark
The students concentrated their dig in two different places in the castle's courtyard, yielding some striking results. "In the 14th century, the castle probably looked like a large, square tower on top of a hill," says archaeology lecturer Johan Claeys. "That tower is now buried under the north wing of the current castle. But in the 15th century they built a stronghold around that central residential tower, a part of which we have now been able to uncover."
Besides a section of the wall surrounding the keep, the medieval fortified residential tower, the students also discovered niches accommodating the artillery. "One alcove very clearly contained a cannon," says Claeys. "We also recovered the cannon hole. In another niche an upright gunner, whose murder hole was a bit higher in the wall. All this indicates that this was a guard wall, a stronghold that we have unearthed."
Cobble street
A perfectly preserved cobblestone road was also recovered during the excavations in the courtyard. "That cobbled road has a different structure from the current one and even from the older buildings that we have partially uncovered," says Claeys. "The path is over a metre below the current walking level and also slopes at an angle. This means that the walking level back then was quite a bit lower than the current walking level."
The students' finds will be on show during the archaeology days on 26, 27 and 28 May Experts will be on hand to explain more about the finds and the history of the castle.