Madoetskasteel

Madoetskasteel is a historic moated castle in Melsbroek, a district of the municipality of Steenokkerzeel in Flemish Brabant, also known as Kasteel van Boetfort. Standing on Sellaerstraat, it has remained one of the region's most recognisable manor houses for over four centuries.

Where does the name Madoetskasteel come from?

The name comes from the Madoets family, who acquired the estate at the end of the 16th century. On 20 December 1594, the property was bought by Hendrik Madoets and his wife Margareta van Zuene. It was Hendrik Madoets who, in 1610, commissioned the construction of a moated castle intended as a country residence for the family. The building has carried his family name ever since, even though it is historically also known under the parallel name Kasteel van Boetfort.

What stood on the site before the castle?

Before the Madoets castle was built, the site held a fortified farmstead surrounded by a moat and equipped with a drawbridge — a defensive layout typical of noble and wealthy burgher residences in Brabant at the time. On 15 April 1581, the then-owner, Jan Thielemans, sold the entire domain to Jacques Hannibal, a painter from Brussels. It was only through a later transaction, a little over a decade afterward, that the Madoets family entered the picture and opened the chapter with which the site is most closely associated today.

What did the castle look like in the 17th century?

The building erected by Hendrik Madoets had a roughly square plan with four round towers built of Ledian stone. A surviving depiction from 1653 shows the castle as a compact, symmetrical structure surrounded by water — a layout typical of Dutch and Brabantian moated residences of the period, combining a defensive function with a representative one.

How did ownership change over the centuries?

The history of Madoetskasteel is largely a history of successive families who took over the estate and left their mark on it. In 1728, the property passed to the Tirimont family, who carried out renovation works, adapting the castle to the tastes of their era. In the early 19th century, ownership passed to Count de Lalaing. By the mid-19th century, the estate belonged to P.J. O'Kelly, and from the late 19th century onward it was owned by A. Steurs. Each change of ownership was typically accompanied by repairs and modifications, common for a residence in continuous use for so long.

Why is Madoetskasteel worth knowing about today?

The castle stands today as one of the symbols of local heritage in Steenokkerzeel and Melsbroek, bearing witness to more than four hundred years of residential architecture in the region. Although the building changed hands many times and underwent repeated alterations, it has retained its character as a representative moated estate. For anyone interested in the history of Brabant and residential architecture, the site offers a way to trace how the tastes and needs of successive generations of owners evolved — from a defensive farmstead, through the Madoets family's moated castle, to the 18th- and 19th-century adaptations that followed.

Frequently asked questions

Are Madoetskasteel and Kasteel van Boetfort the same place? Yes, they are two names for the same site in Melsbroek — Madoetskasteel refers to the family who built the moated castle in 1610, while Kasteel van Boetfort is the name historically associated with the whole estate.

When was the current castle built? The moated castle was built in 1610 by Hendrik Madoets, though a fortified farmstead with a moat and drawbridge had already existed on the site before that.

Where exactly is the castle located? In Melsbroek, a district of the municipality of Steenokkerzeel in Flemish Brabant, on Sellaerstraat.

Who was the last known historical owner? From the late 19th century, the estate belonged to A. Steurs, following earlier owners including the Tirimont family, Count de Lalaing, and P.J. O'Kelly.