Blankaart Castle in Woumen, Diksmuide, is an eclectic neo-Renaissance structure built around 1865 by architect Joseph Schadde for baron Gustaaf de Coninck de Merckem. The castle sits within a significant nature reserve encompassing a 52-hectare landscape featuring reed beds and distinctive floating vegetation margins formed from historic peat extraction. Now housing the Provincial Information Centre, the castle offers visitor facilities and garden access overlooking the floodable Yser valley, which since 2023 has become home to a pair of European sea eagles, enhancing its ecological and cultural importance.
