Borrekens Castle

Borrekens Castle, locally known as Kasteel de Borrekens, lies in the forest just northeast of the town of Vorselaar, in the province of Antwerp in the Flemish region in Belgium. It's also known as Vorselaar Castle.

Borrekens Castle was built around 1270 by a member of the Van Rotselaar family, who were stewards of the Dukes of Brabant. They constructed this square water castle in a swampy area near the road between Antwerp and Turnhout, which was likely part of the trade route to Cologne, Germany. It is made of white Vilvoorde sandstone.

The castle remained in the Van Rotselaar family’s possession until the early 16th century. Ownership then passed to Cornelis van Bergen, and later to the Arensberg and Proost families.

During the 17th century, the Proost family rebuilt the castle. This effort caused financial difficulties for them, leading to the sale of the castle to Philippe Lodewijk de Pret, a former mayor of Antwerp.

His daughter married Karel-Philips van de Werve. His family renovated the castle in the second half of the 19th century, giving it its current neo-Gothic appearance.

In 1898, the De Borrekens family acquired the castle through marriage. They adopted the castle’s name and still own it today. I’m not sure if they live there.

The castle farm in the courtyard dates back to 1686, but was rebuilt after a fire in 1920.

Borrekens Castle is private property and not open to the public. However, you can walk through the forest along the moat. I think this is a charming fairy-tale castle. It’s a shame it can't be visited. It's also unfortunate that the overgrown banks of the moat prevent good views of the castle. The first pictures are from a visit in 2004.

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