Kasteel Pellenberg

Machelen, Belgium, Belgium

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Kasteel Pellenberg is a historic moated castle in the village of Diegem, part of the municipality of Machelen in Flemish Brabant, Belgium, traditionally regarded as the oldest building of Machelen and considered to be the direct continuation of the medieval village fortress that gave rise to the first settlement of the town, with origins possibly dating back to the 12th–13th century along the Woluwe river.

The original castle was badly damaged during the religious wars of the 16th century; by 1594 it was already a ruin, and over the centuries it was rebuilt and adapted, eventually becoming a large, moated complex with several buildings, including a main house with a prominent entrance section flanked by two small towers and a sandstone tower dated 1648, while the whole volume and layout still refer clearly to the earlier castle state.

In a later phase, from 1926 the castle was used as a retirement home and family guest house, and in the mid‑20th century it was converted into an apartment building, but in 1986 the municipality of Machelen bought the castle in a dilapidated state, fully restored it and adapted it as a socio‑cultural centre that also houses the public library.

So that the building is now a protected monument and a local cultural hub, freely accessible to the public during the library’s opening hours and on special cultural events, while the castle garden and surrounding area can be admired from the nearby walking routes and the nearby Molens van Machelen (Machelen mills) and the Woluwe waterway.