Alden Biesen is one of the largest castle sites in the heart of Europe, founded over 800 years ago and once serving as a prestigious headquarters for the Knights of the Teutonic Order. Today, Alden Biesen is owned by the Flemish Government and plays a significant role as a cultural hub. We organize more than 500 activities annually, attracting over 250,000 visitors. Our activities encompass MICE (congresses, lectures, workshops, concerts, storytelling events), our own cultural initiatives (educational projects, storytelling, heritage), and tourism.

Our team consists of 40 employees, managing operations (kitchen, cleaning, technical service) and administration (conferencing and events, culture, infrastructure, bookkeeping, marketing, and general administration). We have been actively participating in European projects such as Erasmus+ and Creative Europe since 1998, both as coordinators and partners. Some of our notable projects include Sheherazade (1001 stories for adult learning), Ginco Tools and Training, Tales (Tales and Learning in European Schools), InHerit (Heritage Interpretation for Adult Learning), EU-heritage, and Delphi (Development of Continuing Professional Development for Heritage Interpretation).

Currently, we are a partner in the Creative Europe project Cassandra, which focuses on socially engaged storytelling for young storytellers. We are excited to continue contributing to the cultural landscape and fostering collaboration through these European initiatives.