Hof te Melis, Protected castle in Lippelo, Belgium

Hof te Melis is a castle in Lippelo, built in Flemish neo-Renaissance style after a 1920 reconstruction. It has an L-shaped plan, a tall central tower with a pointed spire and weathervane, stepped gables, dormer windows, and two round towers with conical roofs. A stone bridge over the inner moat leads through a gatehouse to the castle, while the walled forecourt contains a French garden and service buildings.

The site was first recorded in 1448 as Melisheim, a fief of the lords of Grimbergen. From the 18th century it belonged to the de Beughem de Houtem family. Troops of Louis XV seized it in 1745, it was shelled from Bornem Fort in 1914, and rebuilt in a new form in 1920. In May 1940 King Leopold III used it as headquarters.

The estate has belonged to the de Beughem de Houtem family since the 18th century; the last of that line died in 1961. By will it passed to Count Geoffrey de Pierrefeu, who still lives there, so the castle is a private home and not open to visitors. The walled forecourt once held a laundry, dairy, coach house and furniture workshop.

The castle stands in Lippelo, part of Puurs-Sint-Amands, behind a rectangular outer moat. A walled forecourt with a French garden and former service buildings lies within the outer moat; the castle itself is reached by a stone bridge over the inner moat and through a gatehouse. The residence is still lived in, so visits are limited to the exterior seen from public paths.

The castle was shelled from the Fort of Bornem in 1914 and rebuilt in a different form in 1920, while the outbuildings kept their original shape. In May 1940 it served as headquarters for King Leopold III.