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All Belgium Sint-Truiden Castle Nieuwenhoven

Castle Nieuwenhoven

This Belgian palace was long the domain of priests and aristocrats but is now being turned into an art commune.

Sint-Truiden, Belgium

Added By
Dusan Milanovic
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Castle Nieuwenhoven   dusanmil89 / Atlas Obscura User
Castle Nieuwenhoven   dusanmil89 / Atlas Obscura User
Castle Nieuwenhoven   dusanmil89 / Atlas Obscura User
Castle Nieuwenhoven   dusanmil89 / Atlas Obscura User
Castle Nieuwenhoven   dusanmil89 / Atlas Obscura User
Castle Nieuwenhoven   dusanmil89 / Atlas Obscura User
Castle Nieuwenhoven   dusanmil89 / Atlas Obscura User
Castle Nieuwenhoven   dusanmil89 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Like many palaces, Belgium's Castle Nieuwenhoven has been home to both holy men and nobles but after having expanded and grown for centuries, it is now open to anyone as both a historical treasure and as an art colony.  

Originally built (although not to so grand a scale) in the 13th century, the castle was first created to fortify a local farm that was run by monks. Over the years the site was expanded and began to act as a temporary home for visitors from a nearby abbey. For centuries it served as a vacation home for the holy until the onset of the French Revolution which saw the castle fall into the hands of the local nobles.

After falling into the hands of the Baron Maximiliaan Frans Niese, the castle was passed down among his female descendants for generations, constantly being refurbished and rebuilt after fires and time took their toll. Finally in 2007 the property was sold to a private owner who set out to give the space a new purpose. 

As opposed to ascetic monks and the stodgy aristocracy the castle's new owner set out to make the space accessible to the general public. Moreover she put the extra rooms and open courtyard space to new use as small art commune where creators can live and work like royals of a different stripe. Today visitors can not only see the contemporary work of the resident artists, but also the historical beauty of the space itself. 

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Castles Art Monks

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Added By

dusanmil89

Edited By

Martin

  • Martin

Published

March 6, 2015

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Sources
  • http://www.ic.org/directory/kasteel-nieuwenhoven/
  • http://www.belgiancastles.be/nieuwenhoven.html
  • http://www.toerisme-sint-truiden.be/kastelen-castle-of-nieuwenhoven.html
Castle Nieuwenhoven
Engelbamp 55-57
Sint-Truiden, 3800
Belgium
50.856654, 5.208978
Visit Website
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