Belvédère Château, Neoclassical castle in Laeken, Belgium

Belvédère Castle is a Neoclassical building erected in 1788 by architect Antoine Payen the Elder, inspired by Palladio's Villa Capra near Vicenza. It began as a country pavilion with a large rotunda; François-Philippe de Haussy later added rear annexes and the domed belvedere that gave the house its name. The photograph shows a pale stone central block of three storeys above a raised basement, five tall windows on the main floor, a pediment with a blank panel, lower side wings and a shallow hipped roof topped by a round cupola.

Built in 1788 in the neoclassical style, the château was designed by architect Antoine Payen the Elder for Édouard de Walckiers, receiver-general and finance councillor of the Austrian Netherlands, inspired by Palladio's Villa Capra. In 1867 Leopold II bought it for 500,000 gold francs, and in 1890 he and Queen Marie Henriette lived there while the Royal Palace of Laeken was repaired after a fire. It became part of the Royal Donation in 1903.

The name comes from the domed belvedere added by François-Philippe de Haussy, first governor of the National Bank of Belgium, who bought the estate in 1854. Since 1959 it has been the home of Albert and Paola; their three children, Philippe, Astrid and Laurent, were born there. The couple kept living here after 1993 and hold official receptions at the Royal Palace of Brussels and at Laeken.

The château stands in Laeken, next to the Royal Palace of Laeken and near the Villa Schonenberg, within the royal park area. It is a private royal residence, not open to visitors, so the grounds and interiors cannot be toured; the building is seen from the surrounding public streets. Albert II and Paola have lived here since 1959.

The name comes from the domed belvedere that François-Philippe de Haussy added after buying the villa in 1854; he had made his fortune as a Hennuyer lawyer and first governor of the National Bank of Belgium. The dome and its small windows still crown the central block.