Veltwijck Castle

Veltwijck Castle, locally known as Waterkasteel Hof van Veltwijck, lies in the village of Ekeren, in the province of Antwerp in the Flemish region in Belgium.

Veltwijck Castle was first mentioned in 1565. It was built shortly before by Aert van Veltwijck, a cloth merchant from Bergen op Zoom. The castle consisted of a square complex with 4 slender corner towers, surrounded by a moat. It was never a fortified castle but a more manorial residence. During the Siege of Antwerp (1584-1585), in the 80 Years' War, the castle was uninhabited and fell into decline. Several military inundations further damaged the castle in the following decades.

Between 1754 and 1780 the castle was owned by a merchant from Antwerp; Cornelis de Winter. He had the north wing removed, which gave the complex a U-shape. In 1905 a second floor was added to the main wing on the south by the then owner; Baroness de Borrekens.

At present Veltwijck Castle is used for cultural purposes. A nice, residential castle surrounded by a public park.

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