Castle ‘van Ham’ at Steenokkerzeel (Belgium)

Castle ‘van Ham’ at Steenokkerzeel (Belgium)

A stronghold was already built on this spot in the 13th century.
The present castle however was erected in white sandstone in 1505.
Originally the castle had an impressive steeply inclined saddle roof.

If you want to know why the castle has a flat roof now, here's the story.
During world war II the castle was confiscated by the German army which caused a lot of damage to the edifice.
They removed the original roof completely because it was too high for the close by airport which was in use for the war.

In the seventies of last century, restoration works took place but the roofs however were not replaced because of the same reason, namely the very close proximity of the now international airport of Brussels.
One can see the control tower of the airport while standing in front of the castle and there are almost constantly planes flying over the castle.