Opulence reigns supreme in Belgian castle
Lavish estate, antique decor, make $29-million fortress in the woods the real deal
Just add servants and you can live like royalty in this authentic castle near Brussels, Belgium.
It will take a small army of hired helpers to clean the two dozen bedrooms, countless bathrooms and 21,000 square feet of living space.
But you can cross an Ikea shopping spree off your moving checklist because furniture — much of it original — is included in the $29-million asking price.
“If you want to feel like a king or a queen, look no further. This is it,” promises representative Leslie de Ruiter, who was overwhelmed by its magnificence on his first visit.
“Castle Gestelhof is very, very impressive indeed,” recalls de Ruiter, of Christie’s International Real Estate. “I drove through the woods and suddenly it was there. It was almost as if I heard Mozart himself playing the piano.”
Mozart might have been born 200 years later but his symphonies would be right at home in the turret-topped stone and brick estate surrounded by a double canal system. Constructed in the mid-1500s in a neo-Flemish Renaissance and neo-Baroque style, it was rebuilt after a fire in 1796.
With its ornate columns, rosettes, stucco and lavishly decorated rooms, Castle Gestelhof is “a work of art you can live in,” de Ruiter says.
Set along the Nete River in a national park, the 14-hectare estate includes the main castle, a smaller replica, a former bakery now used as a residence, gatehouse, stables and riding arena. All the buildings were completely renovated and restored 10 years ago.
Ask de Ruiter to describe the main castle’s interior and the superlatives start flowing: “monumental, “astonishing,” “beautiful.” The numerous fireplaces are “impressive,” he notes, and the large entrance hall is “very stylishly decorated.”
The main floor includes a large and smaller salon, dining room, library and billiard room. Two upper floors consist of bedrooms, bathrooms and dressing rooms while the top attic floor features a conservatory and rooftop terrace.
A wine cellar and several rooms for mechanical equipment occupy the basement.
While there’s no shortage of period furnishings and artwork to keep antique lovers happy, new homeowners may also find themselves sharing space with an eclectic array of decorative objects, including biggame trophies, antler chandeliers and an elephant-foot side table.
Once the home of nobles, the castle is currently owned by a wealthy Dutch entrepreneur.