Castle Rozelaar

Castle Rozelaar Castle Rozelaar, the cradle of ornamental horticulture

The name of the castle domain "Rozelaar" is essentially a corruption of the medieval name "Roeselaer" and means 'marsh where reeds grew'. So it has nothing to do with ornamental horticulture. Originally, monks from the Ghent Saint Bavo's Abbey made this region fertile. After the abolition of Saint Bavo's Abbey by Emperor Charles, the goods were assigned to the chapter of Saint John's Church and later to the newly established diocese of Ghent. At the end of the 18th century, Prince-Bishop Lobkowitz created a 17 ha large pleasure garden on this domain, of which some exotic trees are still present. He also built the orangery where, alongside orange trees, melons could winter. After the invasion of the French at the end of the 18th century, the domain was publicly sold. Through inheritance, it came into the hands of Baron Goffinet in the mid-19th century. He appointed Ferdinand Vuylsteke to manage his domain in Lochristi. Son Charles Vuylsteke started his own ornamental horticulture business on lands around this castle domain in 1867. Besides cultivating Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Palms, Camellias, Araucarias, and Amaryllis, Vuylsteke also specialized in orchid cultivation. The ‘Vuylstekeara Cambria’ is today one of the most cultivated varieties in the world. Vuylsteke enjoyed world fame and supplied to American presidents and Russian czars. In 1895, the company, which had meanwhile also developed outside the castle domain, counted 29 greenhouses and 19 heated nurseries. The company covered 7 ha and employed 22 workers in summer and 18 in winter. He encouraged many of his employees to start their own ornamental horticulture businesses. This gave rise to what we now know as the main ornamental horticulture center in Flanders, namely Lochristi.

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