The Castle of Schoten is a castle in the Antwerp municipality of Schoten. The first mention of the Court of Schoten dates back to 1232. The Castle has a rather striking resemblance to the smaller Castle Bouvigne in the Dutch city of Breda, yet there is no known relationship between the two castles. In 1548, the construction of the original castle started, in 1611 the final reconstruction of the castle was done, giving it its present form.
Picture by Harry Fabel |
The owners of the castle were the family Ullens de Schooten, a Belgian aristocratic family that was raised to the peerage in 1693 by the Spanish King Charles II. They used the castle for many decades, some of the family members became mayors of Schoten. The castle was purchased by the Municipality of Schoten in 1951 from the family and made into a public cultural center in 1955. It is still a cultural center today.
Picture by Harry Fabel |
The Castle is located in the park of Schoten and is surrounded by a moat, a falcon tower, and a large farm barn the Riddershoeve which is now a café and restaurant. they are also part of the Castle grounds. The public park has sports facilities, a children's playground, and a small animal farm. You can find the castles at this address: Kasteeldreef 61, Schoten.