Expoel Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Expoel Castle (Expoelstraat 2-6), in Hombeek, a district of Mechelen, is a former feudal fief that became a country residence. Its name is said to derive from Jan de Axpole, husband of Catharina Raduwaerts, the first known owner of the estate, whom Mechelen's tourist trail links to the 13th century. From 1700, the castle served as the summer residence of Balthazar IV Moretus, heir to the Plantin Press in Antwerp and Grand Almoner of the city. After his death, it was sold to the de Meester de Ravestein family, who had held it since 1736 according to the protection order. Remodelled in the 18th century, the building stands in the middle of an English-style park largely surrounded by moats, with outbuildings erected around 1877: a stable, an orangery and a gardener's lodging. Protected as a monument for its historical value by the Flemish decree of 13 February 1998, the estate can be seen from the Hombeek walking network (node 134), and its park featured in Mechelen's Heritage Days programme in 2021.