Westmalle Castle has opened to the public for two final times before planned renovations, allowing locals a rare glimpse of the previously private historic Belgian estate before the place re-opens in spring 2025.
History
Locals reacted positively to the openings, with one visitor reported as saying, “I never imaged I would find so much history here. The rooms people lived in, but also the tapestries and paintings are exquisite.”
The 15th century castle has already undergone many changes in its storied history. It dates as far back as a large fortified farm in the 1100s. It was turned into a castle by a knight in 1561 and passed and sold to various noble families, as well as to two Antwerp diamond dealers. In 1878, under new ownership again, it underwent work to raise the tower and give it a pointed roof, as well as adding a Renaissance-style gate. An original bridge was removed.
The former Mayor of the town of Malle took over at the dawn of World War I and it is his heirs who had the castle listed in 1978. It has been a protected heritage site, occasionally opening its gates to the public since then.
But now that the castle has been acquired by the municipalities of Malle and Antwerp Province, and the Kempen Landscape Foundation, renovations will be undertaken during the year’s closure, ahead of a grand re-opening in spring 2025.
Renovations
In 2023, during public consultations about the fate of the castle, Malle municipality noted the scope of a renovations to be undertaken is huge. “It is a park area of more than 12 hectares with avenues, canals, idyllic bridges, including a castle, ice cellar and the unique round building. If the city council were to purchase this castle domain, it would mean an unforeseen cost in the budget,” the municipality said.
Philippe De Backer, the Foundation’s director, also noted the responsibility the acquisition entailed. “Buying is one thing,” he said, “but you have to make sure that you don’t end up as a poor estate owner afterwards.” The foundation will “support the municipality to get started with this, to do preliminary research, to show ambition but above all to bring a lot of expertise,” De Backer said.
The plan to open up to the general public “is essential” De Backer added, “but before you can open up a domain that has been closed off for a very long time, you have to carry out a number of necessary works – such as the safety felling of the trees, repairing the bridges – and then the big work follows: getting to work on the buildings so that we can work out a future not only for this but also for the next generation.”
The castle sits north of Westmalle village, not far from the fabled 18th century Westmalle Abbey, where monks still brew beer, making for what promises to be a rich historic tourist offer for the area.
