The Château Charles was a
neoclassical palace in
Tervuren
Tervuren (; ) is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Duisburg, Tervuren proper, Vossem and Moorsel. On 1 January 2006, Tervuren had a total population o ...
, Belgium, just outside
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
. It was intended as summer retreat for
Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine
Prince Charles Alexander Emanuel of Lorraine (; ; 12 December 1712 in Lunéville – 4 July 1780 in Tervuren) was a Duchy of Lorraine, Lorraine-born Habsburg monarchy, Austrian general and soldier, field marshal of the Imperial Army of the Holy ...
, governor of the
Austrian Netherlands
The Austrian Netherlands was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The period began with the acquisition by the Austrian Habsburg monarchy of the former Spanish Netherlands under the Treaty of Ras ...
. However, it was soon demolished and nothing remains.
History
Tervuren was one of the main summer retreats of the
dukes of Brabant
The Duke of Brabant (, ) was the ruler of the Duchy of Brabant since 1183/1184. The title was created by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in favor of Henry I of the House of Reginar, son of Godfrey III of Leuven (who was duke of L ...
and their successors, the
Burgundian dukes and the governors of the List of governors of the Habsburg Netherlands, Habsburg Netherlands.
[ ][ ] They primarily used Tervuren Castle as a basis to hunt in the surrounding Sonian Forest.
Although the castle was medieval in origin, it was modernized and redesigned over time up to the 18th century.
However, as the moated palace became too damp, governor Charles of Lorraine decided to construct a new palace, the Château Charles. He commissioned the architect Laurent-Benoît Dewez to design the new summer lodge.
When Dewez fell out of favour, Louis Montoyer and Antoine Payen the Elder completed the palace.
Construction started in 1778.
The main building was already completed in 1779, and furnishing followed soon.
With large festivities, the palace was put into use on 1 September 1779.
It was barely finished when Charles of Lorraine died in 1780.
His nephew, Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor first intended to sell the country house, but ultimately decided to demolish both the Château Charles and Tervuren Castle in order to recycle the building materials to pay off the debts left by Charles of Lorraine.
Charles' successors as governors, Archduchess Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen, Maria Christina of Austria and her husband Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen, commissioned Palace of Laeken, a new palace in Laeken, which was constructed between 1782 and 1784.
Nowadays, nothing remains of the Château Charles.
The plans made by Dewez can be found back in the National Archives of Belgium.
In addition, the Archives Nationales (France), National Archives of France have a plan and drawings of what the palace looked like.
Olivier Le May made two gouaches of the château, which are now in a private collection.
References
Literature
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See also
Other residences used by Charles of Lorraine:
* Palace of Charles of Lorraine in Brussels
* Château of Mariemont
* Tervuren Castle
{{coord missing, Belgium
Castles in Belgium
Castles in Flemish Brabant
Demolished buildings and structures in Belgium
Former palaces
Houses completed in 1780
Neoclassical architecture in Belgium
Palaces in Belgium
Royal residences in Belgium