| Château of Val-Duchesse | |
|---|---|
 A frontal view of the Château of Val-Duchesse | |
 Interactive map of Château of Val-Duchesse | |
| General information | |
| Type | Château |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Location | Auderghem, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium, Belgium |
| Coordinates | 50°49′12.87″N4°26′1.44″E / 50.8202417°N 4.4337333°E /50.8202417; 4.4337333 |
TheChâteau of Val-Duchesse (French:Château de Val-Duchesse[ʃatodəvaldyʃɛs];Dutch:Kasteel van Hertoginnedal) is achâteau and estate in the municipality ofAuderghem inBrussels, Belgium. The château, which occupies the site of a formerpriory, is owned by theBelgian Royal Trust.
Thepriory for women was founded in 1262 byAdelaide of Burgundy, Duchess of Brabant, widow ofHenry III, Duke of Brabant. Duchess Adelaide gave her name to the place—Val-Duchesse in French orHertoginnedal in Dutch (both meaning "Valley of the Duchess"). According to the legend, Aleydis was inspired bySaint Thomas of Aquin, who is said to have been a guest at Val-Duchesse. It was the first priory for women in theLow Countries that followed the rule ofSaint Dominic and was generously donated by Aleydis and other noble ladies. According to her wish, Aleydis' heart was interred in a now-disappeared mausoleum.
The priory further flourished and gained considerable wealth thanks to the generous gifts of numerous royal and noble families. In 1650, a wall was erected to protect the priory's various edifices. The present-day château was built as a residence for theprioress in 1780.[1]
SinceWorld War II, Val-Duchesse has played an important role as a venue for negotiations in Belgian and European politics. In 1956,Paul Henri Spaak[2] led theIntergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom at the château, which prepared theTreaties of Rome in 1957 and the foundation of theEuropean Economic Community andEuratom in 1958.[3] The first formal meeting of theHallstein Commission, the firstEuropean Commission, under thepresidency ofWalter Hallstein, was also held there on 16 January 1958.[4] From 23 to 25 April 1990, the château hosted theWestern European Union International Conference, which agreed the sequence of accession of the Eastern European countries of the formerWarsaw Pact to European structures.[citation needed] More recently, it has twice hosted theBelgo-British Conference, in 2002 and 2006.[citation needed]
Media related toVal Duchesse at Wikimedia Commons
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