De Viron Castle

Dilbeek, Belgium

De Viron Castle was built in 1863 by the Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar, commissioned by the de Viron family, which settled in Dilbeek in 1775. The Tudor-style castle was built on the ruins of a 14th-century fortification which was destroyed in 1862. One of the medieval towers, the Sint-Alenatoren, can still be seen in the park surrounding the current building. One of the medieval towers, the Sint-Alenatoren, can still be seen in the park surrounding the current building. It is named after Saint Alena, who lived in Dilbeek.

De Viron became the town house of Dilbeek in 1923, and was protected as a monument in 1990.

The castle counts 12 towers, 52 rooms, 365 windows and 7 staircases. This refers to the Julian Calendar which has 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days and 7 days in a week. The castle lies in a parc, with several other buildings of interest: a farm, an ice cellar and a stagecoach building.

References:

Wikipedia

Castles and fortifications in Belgium

Address

Gemeenteplein 1, Dilbeek, Belgium

See all sites in Dilbeek

Details

Founded: 1862
Category: Castles and fortifications in Belgium

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

St. Nicholas Church (6,2 km)
La Grand-Place (6,2 km)
Brussels Town Hall (6,2 km)
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (6,7 km)
Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (6,8 km)
Royal Palace of Brussels (7 km)
Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon (6,6 km)
Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula (6,8 km)
Chapel Church (6,2 km)

Antwerp City Hall (42,6 km)
Cathedral of Our Lady (42,5 km)
Leuven Town Hall (30,9 km)
St. Peter's Church (30,9 km)
Rubenshuis (42,3 km)
St. Rumbold's Cathedral (25,2 km)
Lion's Mound (21,3 km)
Het Steen (42,7 km)
Mechelen Town Hall (25,2 km)

User Reviews

Lokman Ciel (2 years ago)
A great place for both walking and relaxing ??

Andy Stofferis (2 years ago)
Very beautiful castle built in the 19th century. At the bottom of the castle is also an artificial lake. It's possible to walk around the lake.

Adrien P (2 years ago)
Beautiful castle with some nice views far away.

Mansur Sultani (2 years ago)
A gem in the outskirts of Brussels built in English Tudor style, reminding me of Hampoton Court Palace in near London. What a delightful place to cycle to.

Balazs Jarosi (2 years ago)
Very nice castle and surroundings. Too bad you cant go onto the island.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright serbosca

Historic Site of the week

Manarola

Manarola is a small town, a frazione of the comune of Riomaggiore. It is the second-smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns frequented by tourists, with a population of 353.

Manarola may be the oldest of the towns in the Cinque Terre, with the cornerstone of the church, San Lorenzo, dating from 1338. The local dialect is Manarolese, which is marginally different from the dialects in the nearby area. The name 'Manarola' is probably a dialectical evolution of the Latin, 'magna rota'. In the Manarolese dialect this was changed to 'magna roea' which means 'large wheel', in reference to the mill wheel in the town.

Manarola's primary industries have traditionally been fishing and wine-making. The local wine, called Sciacchetrà, is especially renowned; references from Roman writings mention the high quality of the wine produced in the region.