Groot-Bijgaarden Castle ( nl, Kasteel Groot-Bijgaarden, french: Château de Grand-Bigard) is a 12th-century castle in
Groot-Bijgaarden
Groot-Bijgaarden (officially) or Grand-Bigard is a village and deelgemeente in the municipality of Dilbeek, a suburb of Brussels, in Flanders, Belgium.
Toponymy
The name Bijgaarden is derived from the Germanic word for enclosure. The appellation ...
in the municipality of
Dilbeek
Dilbeek () is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Dilbeek proper, Groot-Bijgaarden, Itterbeek (with Sint-Anna-Pede), Schepdaal (with Sint-Gertrudis-Pe ...
,
Flemish Brabant,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. The castle was built for Almaric Bigard, the first lord of Bigard. Groot-Bijgaarden Castle is situated at an elevation of 47 meters.
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Architecture
Construction began in the early 12th century.
The castle is surrounded by a wide moat spanned by a bridge with five arches, leading to the drawbridge. The central part of the gatehouse dates from the 14th century.
A four-storey tower (the "dungeon", built 1347), 30 metres high, is by the side of the gatehouse.
The castle is in the Flemish Renaissance style, with red brick and a slate roof.
In 1902, the castle was very dilapidated and Raymond Pelgrims Bigard began renovations that lasted 30 years.
Parks and gardens
Garden architect Louis Fuchs created the 14-hectare park alongside the castle at the start of the 20th century. The park is open in spring every year since 2003 for an international flower exhibition with tulip
Tulips (''Tulipa'') are a genus of spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes (having bulbs as storage organs). The flowers are usually large, showy and brightly coloured, generally red, pink, yellow, or white (usually in warm ...
s from the Netherlands
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.
See also
*List of castles in Belgium
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
References
External links
Official website
Buildings and structures completed in 1347
Towers completed in the 14th century
Castles in Belgium
Castles in Flemish Brabant
Dilbeek
Gardens in Belgium
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