Schilde Castle

Schilde Castle, locally known as Schildehof, lies south of the village of the same name, in the province of Antwerp in the Flemish region in Belgium.

Schilde Castle was likely founded sometime during the 15th or 16th century, although some sources claim it dates back to the 12th century. In 1545, it was acquired by the Van de Werve family and was then called Hof ten Broecke. It became known as Schilde Castle after 1559, when it became the seat of the lordship of Schilde.

By 1681, the castle appears to have been a rectangular complex with a freestanding square keep, which was probably the oldest part of the structure.

In 1723, Schilde Castle was sold to Paolo Jacomo Cloots. By that time, the keep had already disappeared. That same year, Cloots was elevated to baron by the Duke of Brabant. Cloots soon died, and between 1725 and 1733, his widow, Joanna de Pret, had the castle rebuilt into a more modern residence. At the same time, a large French formal garden was laid out around the castle. She had the castle rebuilt again between 1755 and 1758.

The baroness died in 1764, and through inheritance, the castle reverted to the Van de Werve family. However, they did not reside in the castle but chose to stay in their homes in Antwerp. The castle and garden fell into disrepair, and in 1809, the Van de Werve family even provided accommodation for 180 French soldiers in the castle. Later, they seem to have regained interest in the castle as the garden was reshaped into an English landscape garden.

In 1834, the castle was inherited by Baron Henri van de Werve. He served as mayor of Schilde from 1871 until his death in 1924. Baron Henri was somewhat eccentric and, in 1871, commissioned the reconstruction of the sober 18th-century castle into a more imposing and eclectic structure. The work continued until 1892 but was left unfinished. The reason for this is unknown, though legend has it that a fortune-teller predicted the baron would die when his castle was completed, which might have been a reason.

In 1924, the castle was inherited by Baroness Françoise de la Boësière-Thiennes. Although she had plans to finish and modernize the castle, these were not carried out, and the castle fell into disrepair. When she died in 1951, the castle had been vacant for 27 years. Her heirs sold the ruinous castle to the municipality in 1953, and it was subsequently torn down to the basement level.

Today, only the basement floor of Schilde Castle remains, resembling a small concrete island. The site is freely accessible during the day, but the basement cannot be entered because it is a bat habitat. A curious remnant in a beautiful wooded area.

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