July 11, 2024: Chapeau Magazine, by Jo Cortenraedt. Photo credits: Sergé Technau Translation: Ineke, edited by Diana D. Le Castle “The Torentjes”, is based on the fantasy of André Rieu No one will be surprised that André Rieu has a castle, because it fits in with the overall image surrounding the world-famous musician. Still, it was more or less a coincidence with the purchase. He then worked intensively on the furnishings and the garden. The Rieu family already lived in St. Pieter, the now chic suburb of Maastricht, when the nearby castle De Torentjes (the Turrets) became available, at least half of it. “We were on holiday in the south of France when our accountant called that the front side was for sale. We weren't really looking for it, but then again, that opportunity doesn't come along very often. So that's what we did,” Marjorie Rieu remembers the purchase. The castle dates from the sixteenth century and the story goes that the famous French musketeer d'Artagnan once enjoyed breakfast there. A few hours later he died at the gates of the city of Maastricht. In the twentieth century, the castle was divided into two halves, with a wall between the front and rear, so that several families could live in it. “That was a strange situation. So, when we were able to obtain the front, we hoped that one day we could bring back the entire castle to its former state,” says Marjorie. And so happened a few years later. Architecture Although she really likes it, André in particular has been busy with the design and content over the years. “I have always been interested in architecture and building. So here I was able to enjoy myself a bit,” says the musician, laughing. While the upper floors were used as offices - around twenty people now work there - the ground floor was mainly used to receive people and make television recordings. For example, on the east side there is a room with a long conference table near the fireplace, mainly in brown tones. “Many serious discussions have already taken place there,” says Marjorie. The two connected salons on the west side, adjacent to the courtyard, are very brightly decorated in a mix of Austrian, Bavarian, and Venetian atmospheres. Including an oval, elegant table with a tablecloth with musical instruments depicted on it. With ornaments on the walls and baroque furniture. No designer was involved. Most of it was designed by André himself. “These rooms used to be very dark, very gloomy, that doesn't suit me. I saw those pair of red classic chairs and that sofa in the window at V&D (department store), as decoration. I was able to get them for a pleasant price. I found other chairs in southern Germany. And I love gold leaf, so that's been used a lot here.” Orangery The two paintings of André and Marjorie in their younger years are striking. Shiny silk curtains complete the look. From these rooms you have a view of the fountain outside and of the large orangery, which André had built in the French style, with tropical birds and plants in it. “Yes, also a fantasy that I could give space to.” From the courtyard, you have a beautiful view of the church of “St. Peter Above”. And passing through a gate, you enter a larger garden with a view of the river Maas (Meuse) on the other side. At the edge there is a stone corridor with arches, like a monastery, as if you are in ancient Italy. A beautiful white statue in the shape of a female torso has also found a place there. “I gave that to him as a gift,” says Marjorie. “André has a thing for monasteries, he could live in one, but then in a nunnery. I wrapped the statue in a nun's clothes as a surprise, ha, ha.” Many more flowers outside than inside. André Rieu loves flowers. Lots of roses, but also rhododendrons and other perennials. The permanent gardeners have enough work to do. Because it has to be beautiful and correct down to the last detail. Not only on stage, but also around the castle. A large statue of d'Artagnan now rises on the trunk of an old, dead and sawn-off tree, to complete the history.