Chalet d’Asdonck is the name of a
country house
image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...
in the Belgian city of
Leopoldsburg
Leopoldsburg (; ; ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2006, Leopoldsburg had a total population of 14,403. The total area is which gives a population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stand ...
. More precisely, the house is situated in Immert, which is alternatively known as Asdonkerheide, the Asdonk Heath. The building itself dates from ca 1900.
The Chalet d’Asdonck was formerly the main residence of a general in the Belgian army. The original owner of the land was Edouard-Charles Henrard, an officer in the army and professor at the Brussels Military Academy, the
École Royale Militaire
The Royal Military Academy (, ; , ) is the military university of Belgium. The institution is responsible for the education of the officers of the five components of the Belgian defence (Army, Air Force, Cyber, Navy, Medical) and is located in B ...
. Mr Henrard bought the land in 1898 from the city of Leopoldsburg (formerly known as Bourg St Leopold) and set out to build a villa for himself and his spouse, Anne-Petrouille Dobbelaere.
The land, more than 65 hectares including a homestead, was purchased for 12.000 Belgian francs, the currency of the time. Nowadays the equivalent would be 300 euros.
On this land a sizable country house was constructed. Soon after a
landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following:
# Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...
project was carried out, to create a park around the house, including a forest and pond.
In the present day, the house and park still remain. After some years of neglect, the house itself was renovated by its current owners, entrepreneur Ludo Gielen and his wife Nathalie Riga. Also, the park and forest were restored to their original design.
References
Architecture in Belgium
{{Belgium-struct-stub