Renesse Castle, Medieval castle in Oostmalle, Belgium.
Renesse Castle stands in Oostmalle, in the Campine region of Antwerp province. Its left wing is a long two-storey block with a cream facade, grey hipped roof and white-framed windows with grey shutters. A taller pale stone central block has an entrance archway and balustraded top, while the right side is brick with a round tower under a steep conical roof and a smaller pointed turret behind.
Willem van Berchem built the first castle between 1431 and 1464; its donjon still forms the articulation point of the complex. Maarten van Rossum's troops burned it in 1542, and Jan van Renesse rebuilt it from 1545 with a square main building and four corner towers. The main building was demolished in 1793, and in 1830 Leonard du Bus de Gisignies converted the service wing into a country house.
The castle is run by the non-profit Domein de Renesse, which relies on volunteers and publishes a quarterly magazine, the Renesse Koerier. Guided tours are given on Sundays, and a café in the castle opens on Sunday and Monday afternoons. The coach house houses Malle's local history society and a brasserie, with May Claerhout's statue De wandelaar in front.
The castle itself can be rented and is normally occupied only by caretakers; guided tours are given every Sunday. A drinks venue in the castle opens on Sunday and Monday afternoons. The roughly 60-hectare domain has two signposted walks, the Wolfkapelpad and the De Renesse-Salphenpad.
The 1967 tornado that devastated Oostmalle spared the castle itself, but damage to the park trees is still visible today. The castle also kept a 15th-century tournament beam, now set above the fireplace in the knight room.
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