From Frankish farmstead to castle
De Reine castle stood in Cuddegem, probably Diegem's oldest settlement: a Frankish farmstead with its own lands. For centuries the Haachtsesteenweg had to curve around it in a half circle. Only in 1973, after the demolition of the castle had cleared the way, was the new road laid straight again. In the Middle Ages the estate belonged to the lordship of Wezembeek as a 'winhof' (leasehold farm).
From 1478-1479 the owner was Henrick van Ertynghen of Brussels. He was also allowed to fish in the Woluwe and to build a mill on the Hollebeek. Later owners included the vander Goten family, Count Christyn, Jan vander Laen (1647) and the knight François Hannosset (from 1675). In 1751 Jean-Remacle, Viscount of Tisquen, councillor to Empress Maria Theresa, bought the estate for 8,500 florins; in 1752 Lambert Vandermeulen was the owner. The house then had a pleasure pavilion surrounded by a pond with fountains, orchards, avenues and a home farm.
The De Reine family
Through the descendants of Lambert Vandermeulen and Josine Fremineur the castle passed to the Depauw family and, from 1845, to the de Hase family. Eugénie de Hase (1827-1907) married Charles De Reine (1814-1904), a judge at the commercial court. Around 1900 it was their country house. The couple played a large part in village life, and the name De Reine castle comes from them. The castle was a large two-storey building with a hipped roof and a square tower, reflected in a big pond.
Hotel-restaurant and demolition
A Brussels company, which had already turned the Donjon into a hotel, also bought the castle after the owner's death and made it a 'Restaurant-Laiterie', with fishponds for a wealthy Brussels clientele. In 1921 J. Stroobant ran it; he also set up a shooting range there. When the Woluwe was covered over in 1933-1934, the ponds were filled in. The abandoned building fell into ruin and was demolished around 1935. The De Reinelaan and the old bend of the Haachtsesteenweg still recall the estate.