Renesse Castle

Renesse Castle, locally known as Kasteel de Renesse or Kasteel Oostmalle, lies in the village of Oostmalle, in the province of Antwerp in the Flemish region in Belgium.

The first castle at this site was likely built between 1431 and 1464 by Willem van Berchem. Its appearance is unknown.

In 1501, the castle came into the possession of Frederik van Renesse through his marriage to Anna van Hamal, the heiress of Elisabeth van Berchem. After Frederik died in 1538, the castle went to his son, Jan van Renesse. He, however, saw his castle burned down along with the village by troops of Maarten van Rossum in 1542 during the revolt of William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, against Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor.

Between 1545 and 1548, Jan van Renesse built a completely new moated mansion directly south of the original structure. On the foundations of the earlier castle, he erected a bailey that includes the present flat-topped round tower as the sole remnant of the medieval castle.

After the new Renesse Castle was completed, it was visited by Emperor Charles V, Margaret of Parma (the Governor of the Netherlands), Lamoral, Count of Egmont, and William of Orange, among others.

In 1561, Renesse Castle was transferred to Frederik, the fourth son of Jan van Renesse. In 1583, it was confiscated by the Spanish general Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba, who garrisoned the castle with Spanish soldiers. It was later returned to Frederik.

In 1603, soldiers from the Hoogstraten garrison plundered the castle. The last inhabitant, Willem, son of Frederik, died in 1630, after which the family left to reside at another castle. Over the next 170 years, the castle fell into disrepair, either standing empty or used to house soldiers, and was finally demolished in 1800.

In 1830, Viscount Léonard du Bus de Gisignies bought Renesse Castle from Count Clement-Wenceslas de Renesse-Breidbach and rebuilt it in Empire style.

During World War I, the castle was occupied by the German army. In 1920, Count Maximillian de Renesse-Breidbach restored it in Flemish Renaissance Revival style, giving it its current appearance. During World War II, the castle was again occupied by German forces, and part of the left wing was destroyed by a bomb in 1941. In 1944, the castle served as a field hospital for wounded American and British soldiers.

In the 1980s, the castle was acquired by the local council and restored.

Today, visitors can freely tour the grounds of Renesse Castle, which is used for cultural purposes. It is a beautiful castle.

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