Schoonselhof

Schoonselhof is a cemetery in Hoboken, a southern suburb of Antwerp, Belgium, widely regarded as one of the most beautifully landscaped cemeteries in Flanders. It functions as both a burial ground and a sprawling park, making it an unusual destination for a quiet walk rather than a purely functional graveyard.

Where does the name come from and what is the site's history?

The story of the grounds goes back to the early twelfth century, when a farmstead called Sconsele stood here — the origin of the modern name Schoonselhof. In 1544 the estate was bought by the powerful Florentine financier Gaspar Ducci. From that point on, Schoonselhof developed into a "Hof van Plaisantie", a countryside retreat just outside the city walls where wealthy Antwerp residents could escape urban life. In 1779 the owner at the time, Marie Louise du Bois, had Schoonselhof Castle built on the property. The last private owner of the estate was Julius Moretus, a descendant of the celebrated Antwerp printing family behind the Plantin-Moretus publishing house. When he died in 1911, the city of Antwerp purchased the grounds and designated them as a municipal cemetery, a role the site still holds today.

Who is buried at Schoonselhof?

The cemetery is known for its monumental tombs and ornately decorated graves belonging to notable local figures from the arts. Composers such as Jan Blockx and Armand Preud'homme rest here, alongside painters Hendrik De Braekeleer, Karel Verlat and Theodoor Verstraete, sculptors Vic Gentils and Albert Szukalski, and a distinguished group of writers: Gerard Walschap, Paul Van Ostaijen, Willem Elsschot, Marnix Gijsen, Hubert Lampo, Herman De Coninck and Hendrik Conscience. This concentration of artists' graves means a walk through Schoonselhof's paths can feel like tracing the outline of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Flemish cultural history.

Why is it also a site of war remembrance?

The cemetery contains an extensive Commonwealth war graves plot, holding the graves of 1,557 British and Commonwealth service personnel who died during the two World Wars — 101 from the First World War and 1,455 from the Second — together with 16 Polish and one French war burial. Alongside these, Schoonselhof holds 1,059 Belgian war graves, 751 from the First World War and 307 from the Second. The uniform rows of these military graves stand in deliberate contrast to the ornate, individualized civilian tombs elsewhere on the grounds, forming a quieter, more solemn section of the cemetery.

What should visitors know before going?

Located in Hoboken, south of central Antwerp, Schoonselhof draws visitors beyond those looking for a specific grave, thanks to its park-like character: mature trees, winding paths and a wide variety of funerary architecture. The combination of a nineteenth-century countryside-estate past, the graves of prominent Flemish artists, and extensive war cemeteries gives the site a layered historical significance for both Antwerp and Flanders as a whole.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Schoonselhof located? In the Hoboken district, on the southern edge of Antwerp, Belgium.

Since when has the site been a cemetery? Since 1911, when the city of Antwerp bought the former private estate following the death of its last owner, Julius Moretus.

Are there war graves at Schoonselhof? Yes — the cemetery includes a large Commonwealth war graves plot as well as numerous Belgian military graves from both World Wars.