Castle Ter Elst

Located on the Nete and according to some literature sources together with the Antwerp Steen, one of the oldest buildings in the province of Antwerp; Origins ascending to the distant Middle Ages. There are written sources available for the history from the twelfth century onwards: Ter Elst was then in the hands of the Hildincshusen brothers, the oldest known lords of Duffel, see municipal introduction; from 1356 until the French Revolution owned by the Abbey of Tongerlo, which had the castle developed into a beautiful domain; used as the residence of the steward of the local abbey estates and as a residence for the abbots and their retinue when they travelled; high-ranking guests regularly stayed there, including Margaret of York and Philip the Fair. Burned down during the religious troubles in 1584, but rebuilt afterwards; Iconographic sources from the 17th and 18th centuries show a fairly extensive complex, consisting of several wings and towers with courtyard, surrounded by a wide moat and landscaped gardens. From the end of the 16th century in use as a presbytery.

Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen