Name: View of Gestelhof
Rating: 2

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View of Gestelhof

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Places to see

Castles

Belgium

Flanders

Antwerp

Mechelen

Nijlen

View of Gestelhof

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Location: Nijlen, Mechelen, Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium

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Top cycling routes to View of Gestelhof

4.8

(12)

170

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1. Bridge Over the Grote Nete – Sion Bridge - Grote & Kleine Nete loop from Itegem

34.4km

02:01

40m

Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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4.6

(14)

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2. Kleine Nete – Kleine Nete Dike Path loop from Duffel

44.9km

02:37

50m

Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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4.8

(4)

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3. Bridge Over the Grote Nete – Meandering along the Grote Nete loop from Boechout

47.2km

02:41

50m

Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

Tips

🇧🇪 Herwig Aertbeliën

March 20, 2024

This huge castle on the Nete has been protected as a monument and part of the villagescape since 1981. This water castle, surrounded by a double moat with wooden drawbridge, is surrounded by a landscape park, with water features to the east.

Because the castle has been destroyed, restored and enlarged several times, it has different historical construction periods. It dates from the second half of the 16th century, the fourth quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century.

The oldest known owner of this castle was Egidius van Ghestele (1312). The most renowned owner was Philip II, King of Spain. He owned the domain for several years in the mid-sixteenth century.

The Gestelhof is surrounded by a pond and located in the middle of a park. A long avenue leads to a beautiful gatehouse. The latter was built in 1560 by Pieter van Daele, who also restored and expanded the castle after it was destroyed by Maarten Van Rossum. This Gelderland army commander plundered a large part of Brabant, including this castle, during the Gelderland Wars in 1542. Afterwards it fell into disrepair until it was rebuilt and restored in 1681 by Jacob de Groesbeeck.

But the looting is not the only setback the Gestelhof had to deal with. During the Peasants' War (1796 - 1804) it was again destroyed and burned down. The noble Bieberstein-De Grelle family rebuilt it in 1834 in neo-Flemish Renaissance and neo-Baroque style, this time to a design by A. Cuypers. In 1893 it became the property of the de Biolley family. In 1899 she enlarged the farm buildings with a barn and a connecting tower. Around 1901, a house was added to the T-shaped farm building.

During the First World War, the castle again had a hard time. It burned out almost completely on September 30, 1914 and the entrance building was severely damaged by the Germans. Fortunately, the damage was repaired by J. Goeyvaerts-Merckx, in the period 1916-1921. He immediately expanded the Gestelhof. It was given a square plan and the interior was adapted in neo-empire, neo-Renaissance and neo-Gothic. The entrance building was expanded with a garage on the east side. It was slightly damaged again during the Second World War.

The beautiful domain has been private property for a number of years and is therefore no longer accessible to the public.

Source: berlaar.be/kastelen

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 50 m

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Thursday 25 September

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Max wind speed: 14.0 km/h

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Location: Nijlen, Mechelen, Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium

View of Gestelhof

1. Bridge Over the Grote Nete – Sion Bridge - Grote & Kleine Nete loop from Itegem

2. Kleine Nete – Kleine Nete Dike Path loop from Duffel

3. Bridge Over the Grote Nete – Meandering along the Grote Nete loop from Boechout

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