Château Malou
The Château Malou (Dutch: Maloukasteel) is a neoclassical building in the municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert in Brussels, Belgium. The château is situated in the middle of Malou Park, overlooking the valley of the Woluwe stream. There is a formal lawn in front of the château, and beyond, there is a small lake with swans and ducks.
History
The château was built in 1776 in the neoclassical style by a wealthy merchant called Lambert de Lamberts. The current building replaced a small 17th-century hunting lodge.
One of the château's owners was the orangist minister Pierre van Gobbelschroy, until the end of the Dutch period in 1829. After Belgium gained its independence, the château changed owners and eventually passed to the Finance Minister of the new Belgian Government, Jules Malou. Malou occupied the building from 1853 onwards and the building has retained his name ever since.
The château is now the property of the municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and is primarily used for cultural activities, exhibitions, etc.
See also
- List of castles and châteaux in Belgium
- Neoclassical architecture in Belgium
- History of Brussels
- Culture of Belgium
- Belgium in the long nineteenth century
References
- ^ A contemporary representation of the Château Archived 2005-11-09 at the Wayback Machine is available from the official website of the Woluwe-Saint Lambert commune.
External links
- Media related to Malou castle at Wikimedia Commons
- Woluwe-Saint-Lambert municipality official website (in French and Dutch)
- Historical monuments of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert (in French)
- A picture gallery covering the Park and the Château