Kasteel Bouvigne

The exact age of Kasteel Bouvigne is not entirely clear. However, the estate was first documented in 1494 as De Boeverie, which already included a stone house with a moat. In 1554, the building appeared in a will as a stone house surrounded by water. Between 1554 and 1611, the first tower floor was built, followed by renovations and an increase of the tower by a second floor in the subsequent three years. In 1614, Prince Philip William of Orange acquired the property, which he had redesigned in the Renaissance style by his agent Jean Baptiste Keeremans. During the siege of Breda by Prince Frederik Hendrik in 1637, Kasteel Bouvigne served as his headquarters. Despite plans for demolition in 1774, the building was saved and later renovated by George Ruysch, who gave it its current name, Bouvigne. In 1930, the castle became public property.

Today, Kasteel Bouvigne is privately owned. It is surrounded by three different gardens – a French, an English, and a German garden – all adorned with statues and open for visitors. The castle itself is accessible to visitors only on special days, such as Brabant Castle Day. Since 2010, it also serves as an official wedding venue for the municipality of Breda.