Belgium Van Roosendael Castle

The original court "De Kijckuit", already mentioned in the 15th century, was completely destroyed during the siege of Antwerp in 1585 and rebuilt at the beginning of the 17th century as a house of plaisance. In 1691 the Antwerp great-chaplain Theodoor van Roosendael received the property, so that it was named after him.

After the family of Roosendael, who inhabited the castle for about 250 years, it came into the possession of several families from the end of the 18th century until it was purchased by the municipality of Merksem in 1924.

The current castle is the gatehouse of the Roosendaelhof. The actual castle was restored in 1933 - 1934. But, in 1944 the main buildings were bombed flat by the Allies and only the gatehouses survived the inferno. The gatehouse was restored at the end of the 20th century.

It is currently the seat of the Koninklijke Kring voor Heemkunde and serves as a documentation centre.