I was surprised by the cute little office-cottage at the gates of Schoonselhof;
surprised because Schoonselhof is Antewrpen's main cemetery and the cottage seemed like something Snow White might have shared with her seven dwarves. Schoonselhof began life as an estate, with its castle being used as a summerhouse for wealthy Antwerpen traders during the 16th century. Julius Moretus was the last owner and when he died in 1911 the city bought the 84 hectare estate for use as a cemetery. They were inspired by the 1784 royal decree of Emperor Jozef II, who wanted to end burials in churches and churchyards and relocate burial grounds outside city centres. It's a big cemetery, with interesting sections.
We wandered through the area where the famous of Antwerpen were buried ... writers, sculptors, and aldermen to name a few. I was intrigued by this grave that had been made anonymous by ivy. There's also a Commonwealth section, with 101 soldiers from world war one, and another 1,465 from the second world war buried there.
