Kasteel de Marnix de Sainte Aldegonde

Kasteel de Marnix de Sainte Aldegonde is a neo-Gothic moated castle in Bornem, in the Belgian province of Antwerp, built on the site of far older fortifications. Encircled by a double moat, it stands along the Oude Schelde, a side arm of the river Scheldt that was cut off from the main channel back in the 13th century.

How old is this site really?

The story of this place goes back much further than the current building. The foundations on which today's castle rests date from the 10th or 11th century, when a fortification was first raised here to defend the area against Viking raids. Over the following centuries the site was repeatedly rebuilt, its shape and purpose shifting alongside the turbulent history of the region.

Who ruled the castle and the land of Bornem?

The estate's history is closely tied to the upheavals of the Spanish Netherlands. During the Eighty Years' War, marked by Spanish plundering, the land of Bornem was sold in 1587 to the Spanish nobleman Pedro Coloma. His grandson, Jean-François Coloma, became the first Count of Bornem after King Philip IV of Spain raised the land to a county in 1658.

A dramatic turning point came with the French Revolution. Count Karel de Marnix, the eighth Count of Bornem, fled with his mother to the Netherlands, and the castle and its domain were confiscated by the French government, then publicly sold in Antwerp in 1799. It was only in 1802 that Karel de Marnix recovered the castle along with part of the former estate, restoring it to the family.

Where does the current neo-Gothic look come from?

The building visitors see today is largely the work of the late 19th century. In 1880, Count Ferdinand de Marnix de Sainte-Aldegonde had the remaining parts of the old castle demolished and commissioned an entirely new residence in neo-Gothic style. Construction was completed in 1894, producing the imposing castle known today, surrounded by a double moat and marked by the picturesque, medieval-inspired styling typical of that era.

Why is this place worth visiting?

Kasteel de Marnix de Sainte Aldegonde weaves together more than a thousand years of history on a single site: an early medieval defensive fortification, the seat of Spanish nobility and French counts, and finally a 19th-century family residence that survived revolutionary confiscation and shifting political borders. Its setting along a cut-off arm of the Scheldt, ringed by water-filled moats, gives the castle the picturesque, fairy-tale character typical of Belgium's moated castles.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the castle located? In Bornem, in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, along the Oude Schelde.

Is this the original medieval building? No — the current castle was built between 1880 and 1894 in neo-Gothic style, on the foundations of much older fortifications from the 10th–11th century.

Which family is the castle associated with? Primarily the de Marnix de Sainte-Aldegonde family, and before them the Spanish Coloma family, which ruled the land of Bornem from the 16th century.

What happened to the castle during the French Revolution? It was confiscated by the French government and publicly sold in Antwerp in 1799, before the family recovered it in 1802.