Park Coloma, covering an area of 15 ha, was originally conceived and laid out in the French style: transections of shady narrow laneways, right-angled ponds, a pond canal, and the general geometrical configuration of the park. Later on, the English garden architectural style became adopted instead, as remains evident today in the south-east section of the park, which during the 18th and the 19th centuries was adapted to fit the English lay-out.
In 1982, the park was purchased by the Flemish Region, followed two years later by the purchase of the castle by the municipality. At that time also, the Coloma Rosarium was created within the park in response to the local population’s request to make the area more attractive. Today, the domain’s rose gardens rank amongst the most beautiful in all of Europe.
The Rosarium Coloma, featuring five themed rose gardens, a Museum of Roses, and an orchard of roses is open to visitors annually from 15 May to 30 October. From the creation of the very first rose garden in 1955, success has never been in doubt. Over the years, as the popularity of the garden grew, magnificent elaborations were conceived and executed. A total vision of the rose as cultivated all across the world is what is served to visitors of the Coloma Park as they wander amongst these famous gardens.
A traditional geometric structure configures the first rose garden into a variety of garden pergolas and glazed or wooden verandas. Internationally recognized varieties exclusively in red and white are shaped to represent the heraldry of the municipality and the baronetcy. Likewise of classic design is the second rose garden that, because of its somewhat higher location, offers a fine view on the first garden and where visitors are treated to a representative view of the Flemish cultivators of roses.
The third rose garden may be called a living history book. Here, a remarkable collection is created by the evolution of the rose across the ages. The resistant roses – more recent cultured varieties - central in the garden, complete this treasure house of floral beauty.
As is the case in the previous garden, the landscape style inside the fourth garden complements a more organic design. The garden pergolas and verandas are overflowing with international roses. Not surprisingly, this garden covers the largest surface.
The fifth rose garden is of special interest to the devotees of rosebushes. Between 300 and 400 long-stemmed roses guide the visitor to the entrance of the Museum of Roses, a 19th-century turreted pavilion that proffers a view on the evolution of rose cultivation and the interactive discovery of the Coloma collection of roses. And in the end, there is the rose orchard, an original combination of a fruit tree arboretum featuring no fewer than 125 varieties of climbing roses.
Coloma Castle and its surrounding park are amongst the best known features in the municipality of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. The castle is an enduring witness to the great importance of the "Heerlijckheydt van Sinte Peeters Leeuw" in the region of Gaasbeek. It is a typical example of a 15th-century fortified castle that evolved into a so-called "lusthuis" or "huys van plaisantie", meaning a summer mansion. The building is square with angular corner towers, a pear-shaped roof, and surrounded by protective ponds. The narrow loopholes in the ramparts were replaced by wide windows and the defensive protection works on the walls removed.
From the start of the 17th century onwards, ownership of the castle changed hands several times. In 1745, Karel Vital Alexander de Coloma came into possession of the castle through his marriage with baroness Eugenia Roose. She was a descendant of Jan Karel Roose, who in 1687 purchased the village Leeuw from the Masters of Gaasbeek. From that time onwards, the castle was known as the "Castle of Coloma". It was this de Coloma who renovated the building to adapt it to the architectural style then in fashion.
Count Jan van der Dilft de Borghvliet inherited the castle one generation later. The property remained the seat of that family until the death in 1947 of Countess Antoinette, widow of Count Albert de Limburg-Stirum. The building was completely renovated and serves as the municipal cultural centre, housing the municipal services of culture and tourism. In the castle park, visitors can still find annexes to the main building, such as the former coach house (1731), which currently accommodates a pleasant tavern and a garden pavilion with tower with staircase (end 18th century) that today functions as the Museum of Roses.