The Schoonselhof castle is named after Jan van Wilrike, a 14th-century officer of Sconcele. Originally the castle was a House of Plaisance, an outdoor residence of wealthy merchants in the 16th century. In its existence, the castle had a lot of modifications.
In 1911, the city of Antwerp brought the castle and its domain to use as a park cemetery outside of the city center. In 1914 the first body was buried at the Schoonselhof cemetery, he was a German soldier who died during the First World War. Later other graves from cemeteries in the neighborhood were moved to the Schoonselhof cemetery.
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| Picture by Pixabay |
Today the castle is a bit in decay and used by the gardeners of the cemetery to store their goods. However, there are some plans to restore the castle to its former glory and make it a public place again. The cemetery and the gardens surrounding it are open to the public.