AG Vespa has found a new operator for Steytelinck Castle in the Antwerp district of Wilrijk. The building will be renovated into a brasserie with accompanying banquet hall, which will open next spring if everything goes according to plan. This summer, visitors to the park will be able to enjoy a summer bar.

Steytelinck Castle is located in the park of the same name in the Wilrijk district. The beautiful building was empty after the end of the previous operation, and City of Antwerp real estate agency AG Vespa, the City government and the district government wanted to change that. 

That is why AG Vespa launched a call at the end of last year for a suitable operator who would lease the castle for the next 50 years. During that period, the leaseholder would have to renovate the castle and give it a new purpose.

The jury selected JMB bv from the various proposals. With a lot of catering experience, the team has the ambition to renovate the building into a high-quality brasserie with banquet hall. The first floor of the left castle wing will serve as a caretaker’s house. 

The other castle wing will remain available for the Wilrica historical circle. In this way the building is restored to its former glory. The works would start in the autumn. The intention is to open the brasserie next spring.

Fortunately, park visitors and local residents do not have to wait until the renovation works are completed to be able to enjoy the castle again. A temporary summer bar with sanitary facilities will be organized this summer. If successful, the formula will be extended until the end of September.

Alderman for Heritage and Chairman of AG Vespa Annick De Ridder (N-VA): “A century ago, the garden of Steytelinck Castle was opened to the public as a park. Since then, it has been wonderful to walk and relax in this park in the heart of Wilrijk. Today we have found a private partner who can breathe new life into the castle itself, with a project that provides real added value for the neighborhood and the park. There will be not only catering facilities here, but also a banquet hall. Giving heritage a long life means giving it new life. That new life will also start this summer with a real summer bar.”

“The Steytelinck Castle is a heritage and a real Wilrijk landmark that can start a new chapter. I am very pleased that it will be renovated and that the brewery will come alive again this summer with a summer bar. This way (grand)parents can enjoy a snack or drink again while the children can continue to romp in the playground. I am also happy that there has been a breakthrough for the establishment of our local history circle, Wilrica”, district mayor Kristof Bossuyt (N-VA) says.