Alden Biesen Castle
Encyclopedia
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, located in the small village of Rijkhoven
Rijkhoven
Rijkhoven is a small village in the municipality of Bilzen, Belgium. There is a castle built near it called Alden Biesen. Once it was a part of the County of Loon....
in the municipality of Bilzen
Bilzen
Bilzen is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. On January 1, 2006, Bilzen had a total population of 30,057...
in the province of Limburg
Limburg (Belgium)
Limburg is the easternmost province of modern Flanders, which is one of the three main political and cultural sub-divisions of modern Belgium. It is located west of the river Meuse . It borders on the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg and the Belgian provinces of Liège, Flemish Brabant...
.
Present day
The castle is used today as a cultural centre and conference centre. Festivals such as the Scottish weekend or the International Story Festival are held there. In addition, "European Classes" take place, intended to foster international learning and collaboration between students. The first ever RSPBA Major Pipe Band Championship held outside the UK was the European Pipe Band Championships held there in September 2003.In addition to the moated castle, the complex contains a church and gardens.