A maze of history
Loppem: Some might dismiss it as just another Flemish castle, but they would be mistaken because it offers some unique surprises. Such as its maze, where paradise awaits if you find the right path. There’s also the features that hark back to the brief period when the castle was the seat of the federal government
Loppem Castle provides insights into religious nostalgia and political breakthroughs
When the doors open, I have the feeling I am walking into a medieval church instead of a home. “Both the outside and the interior of the castle are entirely created in the neo-Gothic style that exudes the religious atmosphere of the middle ages,” explains van Caloen. “The first owners, Charles and Savina, were extremely pious Christians.”
Thanks to the foundation, established in 1952 by the family, the homogenous style has been exquisitely preserved.
All around on the walls of the entrance hall hang paintings and sculptures, often related to the family history or with a Biblical theme. The somewhat bizarre antlers on top of the chandeliers also have a religious purpose, although it’s more obscure, according to my guide: “The antlers were believed to have supernatural powers.”
A figure that looks out of place is the stuffed grizzly bear in a corner of the hall. It doesn’t have any special powers, apparently, but it does have a story to tell: He was the first grizzly imported from America on behalf of Antwerp Zoo.
In the “blue” living room downstairs, you can feel the presence of Guido Gezelle. The Flemish poet and priest was a close friend of Charles van Caloen and regularly visited the family. His portrait stands on an easel in the room, and he also wrote the captions, in old Flemish verse, under the frescos on the walls. The frescos represent medieval scenes related to Flemish nobility and the crusades.
Supernatural
The first owners, Charles and Savina, were extremely pious Christians
The two sons of the first owners, Albert and Ernest, were still teenagers when they designed what is still a major attraction for families: one of Belgium’s few garden mazes. In 1876 the two brothers drew the plans for the 65 x 25 metre maze, a fifth of a hectare in size, in the castle park. However, they might have had a helping hand from their tutor, Abbot Van der Meersch.
The maze constitutes about 1.5 kilometres of hedges, forming a confusing puzzle of corridors that may remind film lovers of a particular horror movie featuring a crazed Jack Nicholson. But the reward at the end of the quest is worth the effort. The tree in the middle of the maze symbolises the Christian paradise, which can only be reached after a search on and off the right path of life.
Loppem Castle breathes not only religious but also political history, as members of the van Caloen family held the post of mayor of Loppem for almost 120 years between 1815 and 1970. By far the most illustrious episode in the castle’s history was from 24 October to 25 November 1918, at the end of the First World War.
For a month, it became the headquarters of the army and the seat of the government of the newly liberated Belgian state. King Albert I lived in the castle with his wife, Queen Elisabeth, and their three children. The “Loppem government”, which included socialists for the first time, introduced ,among other things, universal male suffrage.
The king welcomed several distinguished guests at the castle, like the French president Poincaré and Prince Yorihito of Japan. After Albert I’s departure, the King of England and his two sons were received at Loppem as well. Two commemorative plates at the castle are lasting proof of the visits of these foreign guests.
But the royal presence lingers on in more than plates. The room occupied by King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth has been restored to its 1918 condition on the basis of old documents and photographs. On display are several objects that belonged to the king, such as a painting by the Flemish artist Jef Van de Fackere, which he received during the artist’s stay there. You can also judge the painting skills of Queen Elisabeth, as the room features a work she created: a view of Laken Castle’s park in Brussels.
On the first floor of Loppem, meanwhile, there is also a little museum with a selection of the art that was primarily collected by Jean van Caloen and his son Roland. Jean, who lived from 1884 to 1972, spent much of his time buying paintings, sculptures, books, drawings, engravings and decorative works of art. Among the highlights are engravings by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, including a series on the cardinal sins.
Roland van Caloen, who is in his 90s now, was a true globetrotter in his younger years. In a separate exhibition, you can follow the tracks of his travels all over the world through the often exotic works of art that he brought back home and the pictures he took. From Cambodia, he imported a Vishnu sculpture that dates back to the 13th century.
