Rameyen Castle

Rameyen Castle, locally known as Hof van Rameyen, lies east of the village of Berlaar, in the province of Antwerp in the Flemish region in Belgium.

It is believed that the first fortification at this site, located in the valley of the Grote Nete river, was a Roman castrum.

Likely during the 13th century, a moated keep was constructed here. It was first documented in 1303 as the property of Jan II Berthout of Berlaer. That keep stood 10 meters high and had walls 2 meters thick. Until the 16th century, the castle expanded until it reached its current form, featuring an irregular, rectangular ground plan and a separate moated bailey accessed through a gatehouse. In the 16th century, the castle was also equipped with gun ports.

The castle was owned by the Van Immerseele and De Cock families. In 1643, Boudewijn de Cock sold Rameyen, which had fallen into disrepair by then, to Nicolaas Rubens, son of the famous Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, who restored it. His descendants owned the castle until 1759.

In the 19th century, Rameyen Castle stood empty and had decayed. It was then acquired again by a member of the De Cock family, Esquire Nicolaas Joseph Alphonse de Cock. He completely restored the castle and expanded the estate with new acquisitions. After damage during World War I, it was restored once more.

In 1995, Rameyen was purchased by one of the wealthiest Dutch industrialists, Joseph de Gruyter, and his wife. Although the castle was habitable, it needed modernization. Between 1996 and 2001, the entire complex was carefully restored by renowned antique dealer and interior designer Axel Vervoordt, who owns Gravenwezel Castle, along with architect R. Steenmeijer. The restoration cost 12 million euros, and the De Gruyter family used it as their getaway house for one day each year.

In 2015, the De Gruyters sold the castle for an asking price of 17.5 million euros to Leo van Gansewinkel, another prominent Dutch industrialist. After his purchase, Van Gansewinkel stayed there a few days each year. He passed away in 2019, and his family put the castle up for sale the following year. In 2024, it was purchased again by a family of Dutch industrialists.

Currently, Rameyen Castle is private property and cannot be visited. A beautiful little castle.

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