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.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Dan Wiklund

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Carlsten

Carlsten is a stone fortress built on the orders of King Carl X of Sweden following the Treaty of Roskilde, 1658 to protect the newly acquired province of Bohuslän from hostile attacks. The site of Marstrand was chosen because of its location and its access to an ice free port. Initially a square stone tower was constructed, but by 1680 it was reconstructed and replaced by a round shaped tower. Successive additions to the fortress were carried out, by the inmates sentenced to hard labour, until 1860 when it was reported finished. The fortress was decommissioned as a permanent defense installation in 1882, but remained in military use until the early 1990s.

The fortress was attacked and sieged twice falling into enemy hands. In 1677 it was conquered by Ulrik Frederick Gyldenløve, the Danish military commander in Norway and in 1719 by the Norwegian Vice-Admiral Tordenskjold. At both occasions the fortress was returned to Swedish control through negotiations and treaties.