First floor

Unfortunately, there is currently no lift available at the Rubens Castle. You can find an overview of the spaces and ongoing activities of the first floor on this page.

Rubenssuite

If the Flemish Master Peter Paul Rubens were alive today, what would his bedroom look like? During Stories Unfold, visitors have the unique opportunity to stay in our authentic Rubens Suite. Every aspect of the room reflects subtle references to the master's artistic legacy. From the bed, with its plush pillows and ornate bed frame, to the small thoughtful details like busts, brushes, and wall drawings that seem to have escaped directly from Rubens' paintings.

What truly makes this suite exceptional is the view. Whether the curtains are open or closed, you are face to face with the source of Rubens' inspiration for his final works. Quite literally, as the view from the room is the same scene Rubens captured on canvas. The curtain even carries a print inspired by the works of the grandmaster. Even when closed, it offers a view that seems to have been painted by Rubens himself.

The Editorial Room

From the editorial room, our in-house journalist Frederik reports on the ins and outs of Stories Unfold. From the heart of the castle, all activities are documented and shared with the public through various media, including blog posts, interviews, photos, videos, audio snippets, and printed publications.

Discover Frederik's work on our blog or read some articles on the pavilion facade.

Discover the blog

Renaissance Room

As part of the residency by Rubenshuis Antwerp, the Renaissance room accommodates both national and international experts delving into Rubens' late landscapes.

Visitors can also enjoy the impressive Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard and even admire letters written by the Flemish artist himself.

Bert Watteeuw, director of the Rubenshuis, delved into archive research and studied seventeenth-century maps. With the help of these documents, he discovered the exact locations where Rubens' landscapes came to life on canvas. For those interested in learning more about his findings, his lecture on August 26th offers a chance for deeper insight.
Klara Alen, research curator at the Rubenshuis, uncovers intriguing stories about the Rubenskasteel and its gardens as they were in Rubens' era. She explores various sources, including letters, court records, estate inventories, wills, sales agreements, and requests, in both public and private archives, to create a vivid and authentic picture of the history of the Rubenskasteel.
Corina Kleinert, a scientific collaborator at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart, was the first to map all of Rubens' landscapes. She is now researching Lucas van Uden, a fellow landscape painter of Rubens.
Curator of Northern European Art at the Ashmolean Museum Oxford, An van Camp, is working on a major drawing exhibition featuring Flemish masters that will be exhibited at the Ashmolean Museum next year.
https://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/bruegel-to-rubens-great-flemish-drawings
Nils Büttner is an internationally renowned Rubens researcher. He is the chairman of the Rubenianum and the author of several volumes of the Corpus Rubenianum, the largest catalogue raisonné dedicated to a single artist.
https://www.rubenianum.be/en/page/corpus-rubenianum-ludwig-burchard-online
In September and October, employees of the Rubenshuis and the Rubenianum will occupy the Renaissance room. Some will be researching Rubens' oeuvre, while most are preparing for the opening of the new experience centre and garden of the Rubenshuis Antwerp in June 2024.
https://rubenshuis.be/en/vernieuwt