Rubens Castle - Zemst

4 July 2019

Tourism Flanders has purchased the castle het Steen in Elewijt, better known as the Rubens Castle. The Flemish Government had given Flemish Minister of Tourism Ben Weyts the green light for the purchase at the end of May. The castle was the home of Peter Paul Rubens and his wife Hélène Fourment between 1635 and 1640. Toerisme Vlaanderen purchases it as part of the Flemish Masters project.

Until now, the Rubens Castle was in private hands and not accessible to the general public, but that is now changing with the purchase by Toerisme Vlaanderen. "This investment fits perfectly into the new strategy of Toerisme Vlaanderen in which access to heritage is very important," says CEO of Toerisme Vlaanderen Peter De Wilde. "If you want to make heritage accessible to the general public in a qualitative way, you also need some decent landmarks. The Rubens Castle is a perfect example of this."

Peter Paul Rubens bought the castle in Elewijt in 1635 and had it refurbished into a luxurious residence in Renaissancestyle. Rubens lived there with his wife Hélène Fourment until his death in 1640. The Rubens Castle is depicted in the painting 'View of the Stone in the Early Morning' from 1636 that currently hangs in the National Gallery in London. But Rubens painted many of his famous landscapes.

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