Thanks to the initiative of the alderman of culture Frans Van Kuyck the Schoonselhof was acquired by the city of Antwerp in 1911 to serve as the last resting place for the deceased. Before that time the domain had already a rich history. The name Schoonselhof is said to originate from Jan van Wilrike, said of Sconsele. (1319) Formerly, close to the schansfields there should have been a farm, named Sconsele which should mean "schoon" (beautiful) and "zele". (house or marshy, swampy ground) The original castle Schoonselhof was initially a house of pleasure, a country house for the traders who lived in Antwerp in the 16th century. The domain was situated in the manor of Wilrijk. Since the year 1540 the Schoonselhof has seen 20 owners. In 1871 Julius Moretus becomes the last master of the castle of the Schoonselhof. When he died a bachelor in 1911 the city of Antwerp bought the 84 hectare estate for the sum of 806 799 francs to use it as a cemetery. On August the 8th 1914 military parks of honour are created. The first person to be buried at the Schoonselhof was a German soldier. (in August 29th 1914) Since September 1st 1921 the Schoonselhof is a public cemetery. http://www.schoonselhof.be/schoonselhof.html
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