Castle Cortewalle

Supposedly "Hof ter Walle", now "Cortewalle". Water castle located in an extensive park south of the national road Antwerp-Lille, which also features a coach house with orangery and an iron suspension bridge. Beeches avenues run from north to south and from west to east towards the entrance of the park, consisting of a high wrought iron gate between six heavy granite pillars adorned with lion head decorations and a crowning vase. Castle. Probably built in the early 15th century by the noble family Triest (reportedly the birthplace of Bishop Antonius Triest in 1576). In the third quarter of the 17th century it came into the possession of the Goubau family, which by marriage acquired it in 1787 to the family de Brouckhoven de Bergeyck. Purchased by the municipality in 1966. Ground plan formed by two longitudinal wings (north and south) between gable ends with a sloping top piece, connected into a closed rectangle by two perpendicular wings (west and east). Anchored brick construction with a facing of squared sandstone, high plinth, two building levels, and separate gabled roofs (slates) on the north and south sides equipped with respectively three and two stepped dormers. East facade with access via a detached bridge. Basket-arch portal under a pointed niche, flanked by octagonal turrets with needle spire. To the right, three bays with modified rectangular windows. Upper floor with louvered rectangular windows on ledges; door window with balcony above the gate. South facade of eight bays, almost in the middle provided with a heavy octagonal tower, protruding above the eaves and crowned by a needle spire. Facade corners at the top elaborated into rounded, open bay windows. Ground floor with adjacent high rectangular windows with shutters and ledges; upper floor with narrow rectangular windows. Left side stair gable with small attic windows; right side stair gable same, further with rectangular ground floor windows. West facade of four bays with louvered rectangular windows on ledges. North facade of six bays, also with louvered rectangular windows. High side stair gables also with rectangular windows, except one in the east facade (house chapel): pointed arch with two lights. Interior adapted in many places in the 19th century and dismantled in the 1970s under the direction of architect R. Thiron (Beveren). Planned restoration under the direction of architect Rutger Steenmeyer (Antwerp). Paved front courtyard with a central flower bed and to the east closed by the former coach house. Brick building with painted facade (to the west) on a granite plinth; blocky corner pilasters of granite; nine bays and one building level under a hipped roof (slates), thoroughly adjusted in 1858. Central risalit of three bays clad in granite (imitation bands) and crowned by a triangular pediment with a round window. Round arch portals with graceful rod division in the fanlight. Flanking bay with pointed arch windows and doors framed in granite; also graceful iron rod division in the upper lights. Left side wall with sporadic rectangular wall openings. Right side wall with rectangular door. In prolongation of it the orangery: wing of five bays under a hipped roof. Plastered and painted brick construction with central risalit crowned by a skylight with round-arch fanlight. Bays marked by simple pilasters with listed capitals. Large rectangular windows. Classic facade end with a segmented architrave, flat frieze, and dentil cornice. Connection of the front courtyard with the northern part of the park via an iron suspension bridge, erected around 1905.

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