The Château Malou was built in 1776 in the neoclassic style by a wealthy merchant called Lambert de Lamberts. The current building replaced a small hunting lodge from the 17th century. One of the owners of the château was the orangist minister Pierre-Louis Van Gobbelschroy, until the end of the Dutch period in 1829. After Belgium gained its independence from The United Kingdom of Netherlands, the château changed owners and eventually passed to the finance minister of the new Belgian government, Jules Malou (1810–1886). Malou occupied the building from 1853 onwards and the building retains his name ever since.
The château now is the property of the municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and is primarily used for cultural activities, exhibitions, etc. The château is situated in the middle of the Parc Malou, overlooking the valley of the Woluwe River. There is a formal lawn in front of the château and beyond there is a small lake with swans and ducks.
References:The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.
In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.