Bouchout Castle

Bouchout Castle (Dutch: Kasteel van Bouchout, pronounced [kɑˈsteːl vɑm ˈbuxʌut]; French: Château de Bouchout, pronounced [ʃɑto d(ə) bukawt]) is a castle in Meise, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. In the 12th century, this territory of the young Duchy of Brabant was strategically positioned between the County of Flanders and the Berthout family, lords of Grimbergen. Most likely, the first fortification was built by Wouter van Craaynem at the end of the Grimbergen Wars (1150–1170). Bouchout Castle is situated at an altitude of 32 metres (105 ft).

At about 1300, the Donjon tower of Bouchout Castle was erected by Daniel van Bouchout, a knight who fought gloriously at the Battle of Worringen. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Bouchout Castle was owned by the Van der Marck and van Sevenbergen sayd Transylvanus families. The castle fell into disrepair due to lack of maintenance, while the Spanish dominance and the iconoclastic fury further worsened its condition.

The first major renovation was performed by Christoffel d'Assonville in about 1600. The rectangular medieval Bouchout Castle was surrounded by a large pond and could only be reached by a long drawbridge. At the end of the 17th century, Peter-Ferdinand Roose transformed the castle into a Renaissance château, surrounded by French ornamental gardens. The castle was partly destroyed during the French Revolution period (1800–1830). Again, the castle was restored in 1832 by Count Amadeus de Beauffort, who gave Bouchout Castle its current neo-Gothic appearance.

From 1879 until 1927, Empress Charlotte of Mexico lived at the Bouchout Domain. Her husband Emperor Maximilian I was executed by Mexican Republicans in 1867. Thereafter Charlotte led a secluded life at Bouchout Castle. Since 1938, the Bouchout Domain has developed into a botanic garden: the National Botanic Garden of Belgium (1938–2014) or Meise Botanic Garden (2014–present).

Text adapted from “Bouchout Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Bouchout Castle ranks #2,620 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #26 of the 91 mapped in Belgium. Founded 1150, it is older than 81% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 563 atlas entries founded in the 12th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 3,076 times in the last 60 days, more than 76% of the atlas. 14 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Brussels, 9 km away. See how Belgium compares in the castle statistics.

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