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

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historical Gems of Costa Verde

Photo from Flickr, copyright Roman Moško

Historic Site of the week

Trencín Castle

Trenčín Castle is relatively large renovated castle, towering on a steep limestone cliff directly above the city of Trenčín. It is a dominant feature not only of Trenčín, but also of the entire Považie region. The castle is a national monument.

History of the castle cliff dates back to the Roman Empire, what is proved by the inscription on the castle cliff proclaiming the victory of Roman legion against Germans in the year 179.

Today’s castle was probably built on the hill-fort. The first proven building on the hill was the Great Moravian rotunda from the 9th century and later there was a stone residential tower, which served to protect the Kingdom of Hungary and the western border. In the late 13th century the castle became a property of Palatine Matúš Csák, who became Mr. of Váh and Tatras.

Matúš Csák of Trenčín built a tower, still known as Matthew’s, which is a dominant determinant of the whole building.