Gaasbeek Castle

The medieval castle had an eventful history and evolved from a strategic stronghold to a spacious country residence. The Count of Egmond was one of the most famous owners. The current building received its romantic restyling at the end of the nineteenth century thanks to the eccentric Marquise Arconati Visconti.

She set up the castle as a museum for her enormous art collection. The dream castle that was created then still has something of a time machine today. You will wander through historic interiors and discover tapestries, paintings, furniture, sculptures and other valuable objects.

A first fortified castle was built in the middle of the thirteenth century to protect Brabant from incursions from Flanders and Hainaut. However, this castle was destroyed in 1388. The reconstruction took two centuries. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, a French garden, a Baroque pavilion and a chapel were added.

In 1695, a castle wing was destroyed by Louis XIV's troops.

From 1887 to 1897, the castle was thoroughly restored in romantic neo-style and the current appearance was determined. Building and historic interiors together form an exceptionally cool example of the style ideas of the time. The interiors offer a sample of neo-styles, from neo-Gothic to neo-Renaissance to neorococo.

In 1921, the last owner of the castle domain, Marquise Arconati Visconti, donated the park with the castle and entire contents to the Belgian State.

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