Attractions and Places To See in Kasteeldomein Van Westmalle En Omgeving - Top 12

In 1914, Baron Alfons van der Straten Waillet inherited the castle. By dividing it among his children, it passed to his 4th son, Baron Jacques van der Straten Waillet, in 1973. In 1978, the castle, which has perfectly preserved its appearance from 1561, was protected as a monument. After the death of Baron Jacques van der Straten Waillet in 1984, the castle was inhabited by his widow, born Countess Christiane de Lannoy, and his sister, Lady Marie-Josephe van der Straten Waillet. After the death of the baroness in 2022, the castle was put up for sale. The asking price was 3.8 million euros. The municipality of Malle decided to purchase the castle after a survey among its residents. This purchase was largely financed by the Kempens Landschap Foundation. Source Wikipedia

In 1695, the last heir of the Cottereau family owed a lot of money to Pierre Farisau, and later to his heir Filips Robijns. In 1702, the castle was claimed by the creditors, but the court returned the castle to Lady Moytray, the widow of the Cottereau. In 1738, her brother inherited the castle and it was sold to the heirs of Filips Robijns. The castle then had the appearance of a fortified castle with a monumental gate, drawbridge, double rampart and forecourt. These heirs sold the castle to Jacques Benoit Pauwens in 1743. The Pauwens family lived in the castle until 1847. In 1829, Baron de Norman renovated the castle. His children sold the castle in 1848 to an Antwerp diamond merchant, Mr Bovie. He renovated the castle and a garden was created by the landscape architect Koelich. From 1874 to 1878 the castle belonged to Louis Geelhand. Baron de Turck de Kersbeeck bought the castle in 1878 and had the building restored and renovated by architect Schadde.

The Westmalle Castle is located in the village of Westmalle in the municipality of Malle. The origins of the castle go back to a large fortified farm, the Mansus de Trisco (Dutch: Hoeve Ten Driessche), which was founded around 1100. The farm was the residence of the representatives, the meiers, of the Dukes of Brabant. In 1449, the estate was sold by Philip the Good as Duke of Brabant to Henri van der Moelen, a municipal councilor of Antwerp. In 1505, his son, knight Hendrik van der Moelen, received all feudal rights from Philip I of Castile (also known in the Netherlands as Philip the Fair). Hendrik's grandson, Evrard de Cottereau, built the current castle in 1561. The avenue to the church of Westmalle was constructed in 1650.

A tree chapel is a small religious chapel or shrine that is placed in or on a tree. You mainly find them in Catholic regions such as Flanders, Wallonia, Bavaria and Tyrol, and they are part of popular devotion. Characteristics of a tree chapel: Often dedicated to Mary or a saint (such as Saint Anthony or Saint Roch). Usually consists of a small box, niche or sculpture attached to the trunk of a tree. Sometimes the tree itself is hollow and serves as a "natural chapel". You often see them along hiking trails, country roads or at crossroads as a place of reflection or protection for travelers. Why a tree chapel? Symbolism: The tree as a symbol of life in combination with religion gives a deeper spiritual meaning. Accessibility: For people on the road, it serves as a place for prayer or rest. Popular belief: Often hung out of gratitude or as a plea, for example for healing or protection.

The castle domain is connected to the centre by the beautiful castle avenue. The avenue dates from the 15th century and has a double row of summer oaks on both sides, which gives it a grand character. It is divided into three parts. The middle avenue was originally exclusively for the lords of the castle, the right path was for pedestrians (now also for cyclists), and the left path served as a cart track for farmers. Today, the avenue is only half of its original length. It used to stretch from the castle to beyond the church, into the village centre. In the 20th century, after the death of Baron Alphonse van der Straten Waillet, the land was sold and the part that ran through the village made way for new construction. At the beginning of the avenue are two boundary posts with the shields of Baron Emile de Turck de Kersbeek.

A predecessor of the current church is the chapel of the Westmalle Castle. This was destroyed in the 15th century. At the end of the 15th century, a new church was built of which only the baptismal chapel and the sacristy have been preserved. The burial chapel is probably 16th century. It contains the alliance coat of arms of the Van der Molen and de Cotereau families. There is also the epitaph of Hendrik de Cotereau. The hexagonal tower was destroyed by fire in 1757. In 1760, a new tower was built by order of the Sint-Bernardusabdij. In 1822, the church was struck by lightning and fire and in 1869 there was considerable storm damage. In 1902-1905, the church was considerably enlarged and a new tower was built 20 metres west of the old one. On 8 June 1915, the church burned down again. Reconstruction in 1926-1927 took place under the direction of V. Lenaerts. The church was enlarged with two side aisles.

It concerns an oriented brick three-aisled cruciform church with built-in west tower. The church is in neo-Gothic style. Some remains from the 15th and 16th century are still present, in particular the burial vault. Two extra side aisles have been added over half the length of the nave. The tower on a square plan has four sections and is covered by a constricted needle spire. The nave is covered by a pointed barrel vault.

A tree chapel is a small religious chapel or shrine that is placed in or on a tree. You mainly find them in Catholic regions such as Flanders, Wallonia, Bavaria and Tyrol, and they are part of popular devotion. Characteristics of a tree chapel: Often dedicated to Mary or a saint (such as Saint Anthony or Saint Roch). Usually consists of a small box, niche or sculpture attached to the trunk of a tree. Sometimes the tree itself is hollow and serves as a "natural chapel". You often see them along hiking trails, country roads or at crossroads as a place of reflection or protection for travelers. Why a tree chapel? Symbolism: The tree as a symbol of life in combination with religion gives a deeper spiritual meaning. Accessibility: For people on the road, it serves as a place for prayer or rest. Popular belief: Often hung out of gratitude or as a plea, for example for healing or protection.