New entrance pavilion is ready to open

On 28 June, the entrance pavilion was officially inaugurated by Minister-President Jan Jambon to welcome visitors from 1 July. This inauguration is the penultimate milestone of the comprehensive Master Plan for the entire heritage site. The restoration of the castle interior is the final step towards a wonderfully restored castle that will reopen its doors in 2023.

The project to 'build a new reception building for Gaasbeek Castle, the museum garden and surrounding park' was launched in 2016 via an Open Call by the Vlaamse Bouwmeester (a selection procedure for designers of public contracts). No fewer than 120 architectural firms applied. Of these, four were selected and invited to take part in the design competition. Designers were asked to seek a balance between a contemporary, well-functioning building with a limited footprint, and the surrounding, protected landscape of Gaasbeek Castle Park and the Groenenberg Park opposite, with which they had to establish a clear link. The choice fell on the design by Atelier Pierre Hebbelinck: a very large, inviting canopy with a closed box underneath, in which, in addition to the reception function, the museum shop, office space, the museum library and the castle archive, a closed depot, a storeroom and the sanitary facilities were also located. The architect conceived the building as a place with many functions under one roof: a generous, flexible 'box' with large, generous spaces that reflect the intrinsic qualities of the site.

The entrance pavilion deliberately does not have the same status as the castle or the historical buildings in the park, but has a humble and functional role, as a 'tool' at the service of the estate. Humble, yet no less powerful. An architectural statement that combines robustness with elegance, both in the choice of materials, where concrete, glass, wood and metal dominate, and in terms of visual allure.

The new building is located at the main entrance to the park area and thus acts as a gateway and link between the car park and the castle area, the starting point for everyone's visit to the castle, the museum garden and the park. From 1 July, visitors will be welcomed here in style. This year, only admission tickets to the museum garden will be sold, in order to be able to operate at full capacity once the castle is reopened in 2023.

Opening hours of the entrance pavilion 2022

From 1 July to 30 November