Every year, during the Vredefeesten in the beginning of September, an entertaining music festival takes place in this small city castle near the Hendrik Heyman Square: Villa Pace.
The Castrohof castle is named after Don Francisco Cristobal Sanchez de Castro y Toledo, a Spanish aristocrat and the region's main alderman, who lived here in the late 17th century. In 1778, his final successor, François Jozef, had a small chapel built on the corner of the driveway: the Castro Chapel.
The castle is also called Exaerdekenshof, after its first owner Jan Van Exaerde, who ordered its construction.
Today, the traditional brick and sandstone architecture make it stand out from the surrounding supermarket and office buildings. In spring, the front yard is very popular among high school kids, who love to eat their lunches in the grass.
