Get your chance and join a guided tour of the beautiful 15th-century castle. Enjoy upcoming pop artists in the gardens and visit the exhibition: ‘If Bouvigne could talk’. Water is always on the way. Therefore, also walk with the guide through the beautiful Markdal and discover the water work of Water Board Brabantse Delta, located on the estate.
Casteel Bouvigne is an iconic water castle just outside Breda, with origins in the 15th century. Once built as a defensible residence, it grew into a stately country estate. Surrounded by historic gardens and water features, the castle reflects centuries of architecture, religion and government. Today it is owned by the Brabantse Delta Water Board and is a special place for heritage and water management.
The Breda castle has been owned by the water board since 1973. It is impossible to say exactly how old the castle is and whether it used to look the same as it does today. In 1554 it first appears in an official deed: the will of the former owner Jacob van Brecht. In this will, the castle is described as a stately stone house surrounded by moats.
The castle expanded over time. It began with the stone house, on which the second floor of the tower was later built (between 1554 and 1611). In the following three years, some other renovations were made and the tower was raised with a second floor. The result is the castle as we know it.
The estate was not always called ‘Bouvigne’. Until 1802, the name ‘Boeverijen’ was used. According to some historians, this is a corruption of the Latin word boveria, meaning low meadow, pants or donk. Others relate it to the Van der Boverien family that lived in Breda in the fourteenth century. The name Bouvigne first appeared in a deed of sale. Probably the then owner Ruysch frenchified the name, after the fashion of the time.
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The Van Brecht family is believed to be the first owner of the castle; they are the first mentioned on a bricked-in tile from 1494. They used the castle as a summer residence, and in the somewhat colder seasons they moved to the city.
In 1611, Jan Baptist Keermans became the new owner. He made many renovations to the castle, but did not enjoy it for long. As early as 1614, the estate changed hands: those of the princes of Orange. The Oranges never showed much interest in Bouvigne; they let their stewards live there. The castle was poorly maintained and threatened with demolition. Fortunately, the locals managed to thwart this in 1774. However, this did not stop Prince William V from getting rid of the castle in 1775.
During the century and a half that followed, Bouvigne changed hands often. In 1930, the municipality of Ginneken and Bavel purchased it. This thwarted the plan of Mr. Zoetmulder, the owner at the time. He wanted to build profitable villas’s on the grounds of Bouvigne for which the castle would have to make way. The municipality then leased the castle to the Pius X Foundation. Under the inspired leadership of Bishop F. Frencken, Bouvigne played an important role in the formation work of North Brabant between 1930 and 1970.
After a boundary change in 1942, the estate came into the possession of the municipality of Breda. After the catechists left the castle in 1971, the municipality sold it to the water board a year later. Since then, the Brabantse Delta Water Board, at the time still the West Brabant Water Board, has been the proud owner of Bouvigne.
Activities of Bouvigne.
Activities
- Discover the rich history of the Castle with one of the continuous tours (20 min) in the Castle (max 30 pers).
- Exhibition in the Chapel – If Bouvigne could talk: discover the stories from 1415 to the present.
- Walk through the gardens – Enjoy the historic French, English and German gardens at your own pace.
- Children’s face painting – For the youngest visitors, there will be cheerful castle-style face painting.
- Use your cell phone for a virtual tour of the estate via virtueletourbouvigne.nl
- Landgoed Bouvigne is location for a performance from the choral route.
Yoga on the estate
During Open Monument Day you have the unique opportunity to participate in a yoga class by studio You are the Buddha, on Bouvigne Estate. This class will take place before the start of the program, from 10:00 – 11:00 and it is mandatory to RESERVE in advance.
For activities requiring reservations, you can choose a time slot via ‘Activities’ on our website starting August 25. Please note that the number of places is limited!
Parking
Come as much as possible on foot or by bike!
Parking at Brabantse Delta Water Board can be found at:
- Parking area P1: water board office parking lot, Bouvignelaan 5 in Breda
- Parking area P2: parking lot near restaurant Bouvigne Paradijs in Breda
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