Wolvendael Castle

The Wolvendael Park is a remnant of the Sonian Forest. The pond in front of the castle was originally a natural pond on the Ukkelbeek. In 1920 it was filled in… and has since been redeveloped. When rivers were narrowed and ponds were filled in, it was overlooked that this significantly limited the water retention capacity. The hardened ground of urbanized Ukkel causes rainwater to drain too quickly into the insufficient sewer capacity. In 2019, the Brussels water company Vivaqua commissioned an underground storm basin: a 1.3 km long pipe hidden beneath De Frélaan, Brugmannlaan, and Stallestraat. The aim is to end the regular flooding of the Ukkelbeek.

In 1928, banker Jacques Coghen bought the castle (1763) along with the estate as a country residence. Coghen became the very first Minister of Finance of independent Belgium and played a prominent role in the industrial development of the country through numerous administrative mandates. Leopold I elevated him to the rank of count. His granddaughter Laura Mosselman de Chenoy married an Italian marquis, Don Fulco Beniamino Ruffo di Calabria, in Brussels. They became the grandparents of Queen Paola.

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