Kasteel Van Veerle

Laakdal, Belgium, Belgium

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Kasteel van Veerle, also referred to as Kasteel Zerezo de Tajeda, is a neoclassical country house and estate in the village of Veerle, part of the municipality of Laakdal in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, located at Diestsebaan 62.

The castle was built in 1849–1850 for the Spanish noble family Zerezo de Tajeda, and in 1860 it was enlarged with features including a distinctive round tower with three storeys, giving the building a southern, almost Mediterranean appearance. The rectilinear main building has two storeys, a hipped roof and a central pavilion crowned by a triangular pediment, and until the death of the last family member in 1938.

In 2012 the old convent buildings were demolished, and the site is now being redeveloped with new facilities for elderly care and children’s rehabilitation, while the castle itself, with its park and surrounding landscape, remains a protected monument and a notable landmark in the centre of Veerle, known locally not only for its architectural character but also as the “Wazinghuis” that appeared in the Flemish television series De Heren van Zichem.

It remained a private residence; after that it was donated to the parish of Veerle and subsequently used as a village school and later as part of a Norbertine convent complex, which in 1952 purchased the estate and added a chapel and, in 1992, a care home on the grounds.