The Château Nottebohm comprises an area of over 58 hectares, within the center an abandoned villa, built in 1908-1909 by the family Nottebohm from Antwerp. Château Nottebohm served as a country retreat for the family and was regularly inhabited until 1943.
Château ‘Nottebohm (BE) – First visit
Last weekend my girlfriend Lia and I visited Château Nottebohm. Since I had read stories about a very observant farmer and camera-security it was a big challenge to get and be there unseen. Through meadows and woods that finally succeeded!
The castle domain Nottebohm comprises an area of over 58 hectares, within the center an abandoned villa, built in 1908-1909 by the family Nottebohm from Antwerp.
Château Nottebohm served as a country retreat for the family and was regularly inhabited until 1943. The last years of the Second World War the castle was in use by the German army. After the war the family was there sporadic and in the 50s and 60s it was rented out as a hotel-restaurant. In the 70s the estate was transformed into Ponyland.
A woman who lived in the castle wrote me the following, as a reaction on my Facebook post:
“Ponyland was great. The groups of girls slept in the castle and the boys slept in the carriage house. There was a small zoo with pets, trampoline and swimming pool! The large lawn was a huge arena where horse-classes were given and behind the barn there also was an arena. There were about 20 horses and 100 ponies.
If it was dinner time, the great bell of the castle was sound, which you could hear through the whole forest.”
Since ’79 the building stands empty and this long abandoned state creates a heavily neglected exterior and very dangerous interior; the original gabled roof has collapsed and stairwells have come down. Therefore we didn’t go in the first time!
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