Flanders Special Venues owns ‘Het Steen’ in Elewijt, also known as the ‘Rubens Castle’, named after Pieter Paul Rubens who lived there between 1635 and 1640. The Rubens Castle consists of a beautiful complex of buildings with a drawbridge and moat and is located in an attractive, green setting with farmyards, gardens, meadows, ponds, and trees. The master plan outlines how cultural and tourist added value can be created for the Rubens Castle and the surrounding castle grounds.
Flanders Special Venues has been tasked with opening up Rubens Castle, repurposing it and developing it into the flagship and inspiring pilot project of the new Flemish tourism policy for a Flemish castle and garden network. According to the coalition agreement for the 2019-2024 policy period, Rubens Castle fits into the tourism policy to restore the Flemish Masters to their former glory and promote them internationally as an asset. Within this objective, the focus is on heritage experience, for which Rubens Castle plays an important role.
To pursue this ambition, the master plan focuses on the sustainable repurposing of the various buildings, but also on strong urban and landscape anchoring. The landscape, as experienced and painted by Rubens, forms the starting point for this. The master plan specifies the layout, design, use, and management of the various outdoor spaces. In a subsequent phase, this master plan will be implemented.
