History

Under French rule, the farm belonged to the Prince de Ligne. In 1836 the farm came into the hands of the Count d’Oultremont. The count sold the farm to the Du Pré-Evenepoel couple in 1896. Suzanne Du Pré-Evenepoel had the stables built. Upon her death, her daughter received Hof ter Musschen. Henriette Marie Juliette Du Pré was the wife of notary Adhémar Edouard Prosper Joseph Morren, who was the King’s notary. Their only son Edmond Morren inherited the farm in 1943.

Twenty years later, in October 1963, Edmond sold Hof ter Musschen to the Archbishopric of Mechelen-Brussels, on condition that the buyer agreed to allow the tenant farmers (Jules Draeck, his wife Rosalia and Florent Draeck) to live on the farm free of charge the rest of their lives. Morren also set the condition that the property sold would be destined for the Université Catholique de Louvain. In May, the Archbishopric traded Hof ter Musschen to the Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe municipality. Until 1979 the farm was a working farm and was known for breeding Brabant draft horses.

Hof ter Musschen has been protected since 1988

In 1990 the municipality granted a long-term lease to NV SABENA for a period of 40 years. In return, NV SABENA was to undertake the complete renovation of the farm after approval from the municipality. In 1993 the restoration work began and one year later it ended. On 20 October 1994 the magnificently renovated farm, located on one of the slopes of the Woluwe valley, was opened, and NV SABENA established its corporate headquarters there. Since then Hof ter Musschen has been one of the most beautiful features in the Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe municipality. After the bankruptcy of NV SABENA in November 2001, the future of Hof ter Musschen was uncertain.

On 19 December 2006, the NV Hof ter Musschen bought the long-term lease from NV SABENA in bankruptcy.

So new life was given to this magnificent spot and its protection was ensured.