Vordenstein park, Protected heritage park in Schoten, Belgium

Vordenstein is a 110-hectare park in Schoten, northeast of Antwerp, with a layout largely from the 18th and 19th centuries. Its oldest section, the Sterrenbos in the northeast, follows a geometric baroque design; the southwest was laid out in 1850 as an English landscape garden with a pond, tree clumps and exotic plants. The castle was demolished in 1946, but outbuildings and some vases from the former parterres remain, and a brick outbuilding with arched windows stands behind a tall hedge.

Vordenstein arose in the 14th century from the merger of two fiefs, the Hof van der Katen and the Hof van de Werve, held of the lords of Schoten and the lordship of Villers. A stone house is first mentioned in 1552; the castle was rebuilt several times and demolished in 1946. From the 18th century Antwerp families used it as a country retreat, and in 1980 the Belgian state bought most of the park and opened it to the public.

The castle itself was demolished in 1946, but the orangerie built around 1800 survives and is a protected monument. Since 2010 the non-profit Tuinpunt has used it and the surrounding gardens for exhibitions, workshops and other events. The name Vordensteyn comes from the medieval fief Vordensteyn, formed in the 14th century from the Hof van der Katen and the Hof van de Werve.

The domain lies northeast of Antwerp, separated from the adjacent Peerdsbos by the E19 motorway to the north. The orangerie in the southeast, built in the early 19th century, now serves as a cafe. A smaller part in the middle of the domain remains privately owned by the De Pret family, so keep to the public paths there.

The castle at Vordenstein was demolished in 1946, but its surrounding park, outbuildings and a few vases from the former parterres survived. The orangerie, built around 1800 in neoclassical style, is listed as protected heritage and now hosts exhibitions and workshops run by vzw Tuinpunt.