He turned to architect Jan Pieter van Baurscheit de Jongere (who had built ’s-Gravenwezel Castle for Johan’s grandfather). The first stones were laid in 1745, but the work proceeded slowly. Like his siblings, Johan died unexpectedly, in 1764, before having an opportunity to live in the palace of his dreams. As he had never married, his wealth was distributed amongst distant relatives, and the building was put up for sale.

It changed hands – and names – a couple of times, becoming first Hof de Fraula and then Hof de Roose. In 1811, its owner, Caroline Roose de Baisy, decided to sell the now magnificently-finished building to a certain Frenchman called Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon loved Antwerp, which between 1792 and 1815 was in French hands. As the Hof de Roose was the most eye-catching building in the port city, he inevitably saw it as a suitable imperial residence. He instigated a detailed programme to redecorate it totally in the French Empire style, employing the architects Pierre Fontaine and François Verly to accomplish this.

Strangely enough, history repeated itself. Just like Johan Alexander van Susteren, Napoleon never got the chance to live in his dream palace. By the time the renovations were completed, the French emperor was in decline. From Elba and then Saint Helena, he could only gaze north and dream of what might have been.

Next to put his stamp on the place was William I of the Netherlands. Antwerp was the ideal location from which to rule the United Netherlands, and the Paleis op de Meir was his favourite dwelling. He refurnished it, but in 1830 it was time for William to pack up his bags and hand the building over to the newlycreated Belgian royal family.

Leopold I liked to stay in the palace but had no interest in home-improvement projects. Not so Leopold II, who spent lavishly to introduce central heating, electric lights and a mirrored banqueting hall. During both World Wars, the palace became a popular symbol of patriotism but was rarely visited by the Belgian royals.

The result was that by the late 1960s, the palace had been declared unfit for royal occupation, and in 1969 King Boudewijn handed it over to the Ministry of Flemish Culture. It became firstly an International Cultural Centre; then in 1974 a protected monument; and in 1980 a Centre for Visual Culture.

The end of the 20th century saw the palace languishing and redundant, until Erfgoed Vlaanderen (Heritage Flanders) took over the lease and renovations began in 2001. They dreamed up a remarkable facelift that has breathed new life into this wonderful building.

www.paleisopdemeir.be

Can we have our furniture back?

In the late 1980s, Prince Filip borrowed some pieces of furniture from the Royal Palace of Antwerp. Among the items were a bed made for Napoleon’s wife Joséphine, an antique marble fireplace and an exclusive wooden cabinet. Altogether, 150 items were taken, although apparently only 23 chairs and two consoles were used by the Prince to furnish his official residences. The rest ended up in Brussels’ Bellevue Museum and Royal Museum for Art and History.

However, when restoration plans were drawn up, the Flemish Government requested that the Prince return the missing items. Despite numerous requests, for years the prince stalled. Finally, in September 2008 an agreement was reached, although it wasn’t until last month that the missing pieces of furniture were returned to their original home, where they can now be seen.