Château de Cambron, Neoclassical château in Brugelette, Belgium.
Château de Cambron is a neoclassical castle in Brugelette with a facade of limestone and painted brick spanning five levels across twenty-one bays. The property combines the main castle building with ancient abbey structures, now integrated into a modern wildlife park.
Count Constant du Val de Beaulieu, mayor of Mons, bought the Cambron abbey in 1803. His son, General Édouard Duval de Beaulieu de Blaregnies, had the present castle built from the former abbey infirmary between 1852 and 1854, to designs by the Ath architect Désiré Limbourg. The Ullens de Schooten family, descendants of the general, kept it until 1993, when the Dombs family bought it and founded the Paradisio animal park, renamed Pairi Daiza in 2010.
The wrought-iron entrance gates carry the interwoven initials DVB of the counts du Val de Beaulieu, owners from 1803. The family kept the castle until 1993, when the Dombs bought it and founded the animal park Paradisio, renamed Pairi Daiza in 2010. The castle now stands within that park.
The castle is now part of a large wildlife park, so visiting requires entry to the park grounds. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes as the grounds are expansive and involve considerable walking.
The south facade's portico has six monolithic stone columns topped with bronze capitals. The architect Désiré Limbourg, who built the château between 1852 and 1854, had previously worked for Leopold I and his son, which explains the resemblance to the Royal Palace of Brussels before Leopold II's alterations.
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