Loppem Castle
The Loppem Castle (french. Château de Loppem) is in the same village, in the municipality of Zedelgem , in the province of West Flanders , which the Flemish Region of Belgium belongs.
In 1856, Baron Charles van Caloen (1815-1896) and his wife Savina de Gourcy Serainchamps commissioned the English architect Edward Welby Pugin to draw up a plan for the castle. In collaboration with the Belgian architect Jean-Baptiste Bethune , the castle was built in the neo -Gothic style from 1859 to 1862. Loppem Castle has a particularly homogeneous style, the architecture and interior have been preserved in their origins to this day.
park
The Loppem Castle Park was originally owned by the priest Elias Verdick. In 1756 ownership changed to Pierre Clément de Potter sen. Around 1800 his son Pieree Clément jun. a country house and had the park converted into a garden with Chinese plants. His daughter married Joseph-Bernard van Caloen. Her son, Baron Charles van Coloen, ordered the castle to be built. In 1873 it was her sons Baron Albert (Bruges July 7, 1856 - Loppem December 3, 1933) and Ernest van Caloen who created today's park with ponds, caves and a labyrinth in a size of 2000 m².
The coup of Loppem
In October 1918, shortly after the end of the First World War , King Albert I of Belgium resided in Loppem Castle. On November 11, 1918, he made decisions on the political future of Belgium. In the “Coup von Loppem”, the king decided, without the hitherto dominant conservatives, to change the electoral law on the basis of “one man - one vote” from the age of 21. At the same time, a government of unity was set in motion, made up of socialists, liberals and Catholics. This sudden reorganization of Belgium's political order was criticized by conservative Belgians for years.
During the 18-day campaign of the Second World War , King Leopold III resided . of Belgium from May 18 to 15, 1940, also in Loppem Castle.
today
The palace and park are now owned by the Jean van Caloen Foundation.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ JCH Blom and E. Lamberts: History of Low Countries, 1999 p. 355 ISBN 1-57181-085-4
Coordinates: 51 ° 9 ′ 21.6 ″ N , 3 ° 12 ′ 10.8 ″ E