Elewijt Castle, Medieval castle in Elewijt, Belgium
Elewijt Castle is a stone castle in the village of Elewijt, in the municipality of Zemst, Belgium. It is made up of two clearly separate wings, one used as living quarters and the other for staff accommodation.
The castle was built in 1304 by the knights of Wilre, on the site of an earlier wooden fortification from the 11th century. In 1635, Peter Paul Rubens bought it and had it redesigned in the Flemish Renaissance style.
Elewijt Castle is often called the Castle of Rubens by people in the region, reflecting how closely the place is tied to the painter's memory. Visitors who know his work may recognize the building from one of his own paintings, where he depicted it in the background.
The castle is privately owned and not open to visitors at the moment. It is worth checking for updates before planning a trip, as public access may be considered in the future.
Above the fireplace in the main living room hangs Rubens' personal coat of arms, a detail that confirms his time at the castle. He spent the last five years of his life there, from 1635 until his death in 1640.
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