Castle ‘Marnix de Sainte Aldegonde’ at Bornem (Belgium)

The history of this neogothic castle goes back to the 9th century when there was a medieval stronghold on this spot.

The castle is situated at the ‘Old Scheldt’, an old cut-off meander of the river Scheldt.
At the end of the 19th. century, it was given its present outlook during restoration works.

Phillips de Marnix de Sainte Aldegonde was a 16th. century prominent Flemish statesman who owned several castles in Flanders and the Netherlands.
He was also a writer and probably the author of the text of the 'Wilhelmus', the national anthem of the Netherlands.
In 1583 he became the Lord Major of Antwerp and the owner of the castle.

Currently, the castle is inhabited by John de Marnix de Sainte Aldegonde, the 14th count of this historical family.

Here’s another picture of the castle in winter times :

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With just one click below, you can see the whole ‘Castles of Belgium’ series so far.

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A big thanks to [fc-user:2043865] for the nomination of this picture.