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The Belvédère Château ( French: Château du Belvédère; Dutch: Kasteel Belvédère; German: Schloss Belvédère) is a residence of the Belgian royal family in Laeken, Brussels, which currently houses King Albert II and his wife, Queen Paola.

History

The Belvédère Château was originally built in the 1780s, then was bought by King Leopold II in 1867. ^[1] The château was meant for his sister Carlotta of Mexico, but she chose to live in the suburb of Tervuren, just outside Brussels, which left Belvédère empty for a while.

In 1890, a fire broke out in the Royal Palace of Laeken, and Leopold II and his wife Marie Henriette of Austria moved to Belvédère while repairs took place. Once the repairs were finished, Leopold and Marie Henriette moved back to the Royal Palace, while Belvédère became the residence of their youngest daughter, Princess Clementine. She lived in Belvédère until her father died and she got married, leaving the château for the Royal Palace. From there, the château was occupied by different members of the royal court.

In 1958, Belvédère was used for exhibitions during the World's Fair. The following year, the newlyweds Prince Albert II and Paola Ruffo di Calabria moved to the château, which expanded to 5 hectares (12 acres), having acquired parts of a local park. All three of the royal couple's children were born and raised in Belvédère. After the couple became the monarchs of Belgium, they stayed at the château instead of moving to the Royal Palace.^{[ citation needed]}

See also

• List of castles and châteaux in Belgium
• Royal Trust (Belgium)
• Neoclassical architecture in Belgium
• History of Brussels
• Culture of Belgium
• Belgium in the long nineteenth century

References

Citations

External links

• Media related to Belvédère Castle (Brussels) at Wikimedia Commons

50°53′29″N 4°21′17″E / 50.8915°N 4.3547°E / 50.8915; 4.3547