4. Pavilion De Notelaer

The pavilion De Notelaer was built between 1792 and 1795 on the orders of the third duke, Wolfgang-Guillaume, and his wife Flore van Arenberg. “It was designed by the French court architect Charles De Wailly and was the ideal place to receive guests,” Koen explains. “The building consists of two interlocking volumes: an octagonal part facing the Schelde and a rectangular part facing the garden. The upper space was the reception salon where beautiful ceiling and wall paintings can still be seen today. On the mezzanine lived the ferryman who operated the former ferry to Steendorp, while his wife ran a tavern below. Notable are the bas-reliefs against the round facade that represent the Schelde and its tributaries.”

The Kempens Lanschap Foundation took the pavilion on a long-term lease from Toerisme Vlaanderen and the Agency for Nature and Forest in 2017. They are responsible for managing the site, while vzw De Notelaer operates it. “Today, restoration work is underway to transform the pavilion into heritage accommodations.”

Sandra