The Château of Stuyvenberg, c. 1901

The Château of Stuyvenberg (French: Château du Stuyvenberg, Dutch: Kasteel van Stuyvenberg, German: Schloss Stuyvenberg) is a residence of the Belgian royal family, located in Laeken, Brussels. It is situated at an elevation of 56 metres (184 ft).[1]

History and use

The Château of Stuyvenberg was built in 1725, acquired for 200,000 Belgian francs by the Belgian State in 1840, and later bought by King Leopold II who donated it to the Royal Trust. It is near the Royal Palace of Laeken, the official residence of the King and Queen of the Belgians.

The first Belgian king, Leopold I, used the château for his mistress Arcadie Claret, and their second child Arthur was born there in 1852. Later, it was the birthplace of King Baudouin in 1930 and King Albert II in 1934; both spent their early years at Stuyvenberg. After World War II, Elisabeth of Bavaria, widow of King Albert I, lived at the castle until her death in 1965. Subsequently, it was used for almost three decades as a guest house for foreign dignitaries. From 1998 to 2014, Queen Fabiola, widow of King Baudouin, called it her home. She died at Stuyvenberg on 5 December 2014.[2]

The residence has also been home to Princess Astrid, the sister of the current king, Philippe.

See also

References

Citations

  1. ↑ elevationmap.net
  2. ↑ Bart Van Belle (5 December 2014). "Koningin Fabiola overleden". De Standaard.

50°53′16″N 4°20′54″E / 50.88786°N 4.34844°E / 50.88786; 4.34844

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