T he Château is the home of the Belgian royal family and lies just outside of the center of Brussels in an area known as Laeken. It should not be confused with the Palais Royal (Koninklijk Paleis) which is the family's official residence. Chateau de Laeken shares a park with a number of other noteworthy landmarks including the Atomium, a radio station, and the Tour Japonaise. Originally, the building was the home of the governor of the Netherlands, which then included what is now Belgium and was under Austrian rule. The governor didn't keep his hands on it long. By 1804 France had seized control of the region, and Napoleon purchased the building. When Napoleon fell, it became property of King William I, the king of what was then the Netherlands. When Belgium won its independence, the castle became the property of King Leopold I. But it wasn't until Leopold III that a Belgian king lived there full-time.
The original manor house on this site was built in 1772.
The building was damaged by a fire January 1, 1890.
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