Our story

Built to last.
Owned by the people
who use it.

Lusthaven began as a simple question: what would it look like if queer people built a space for ourselves — one that didn't disappear at the end of the night, one that wasn't shaped by landlords, and one that held room for connection, intimacy, and community in equal measure?
This is our answer.

The idea

How we got here

The founding team met through a shared desire to build queer, sex‑positive community — not just for a night, but for something deeper. We created temporary spaces, hosted gatherings, and watched a community form around us. Over time, the dream grew: what if this could be permanent?

Across Europe, there are very few places where queer sex‑positive communities can gather with dignity, privacy, and intention. Urban venues are limited by noise, neighbours, and the economics of nightlife. They create connection, but only briefly. We wanted to build something that could hold people for longer — a place where relationships, creativity, and care could unfold over days, not hours.

This project is our attempt to build that home: a place for deep connection, shared stewardship, and queer joy — built to last.

The space

The property

🏛 Protected monument — Onroerend Erfgoed 2779 & 2780

Our target property is Het Kasteel van Velm, a historic estate in Flanders built in the 1780s. With heritage salons, wings for workshops and smaller gatherings, a chapel, and a vaulted basement for larger events, the site offers the infrastructure to host the kind of programming our community has been dreaming of — all within a protected monument and its surrounding parkland.

We chose this estate because it offers something rare: the space, privacy, and infrastructure to host multi‑day queer and sex‑positive gatherings without compromise. The heritage salons allow for intimate workshops and rituals; the chapel and basement can hold larger events; and the on‑site accommodation makes it possible for people to stay, rest, and connect over several days. The surrounding parkland provides privacy and calm — essential for the kind of community we're building.

Location

Sint‑Truiden, Flanders, Belgium

Heritage status

Protected monument since 1984

Grounds

6.4 hectares of parkland and farmyard

Why here

Why Belgium? Why Flanders?

Belgium offers a uniquely stable and supportive environment for a project like this. Its cooperative legal framework is robust, its heritage protections are strong, and its central location makes it easily accessible from the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the UK.

Flanders, and Limburg in particular, offers the space and privacy needed for multi‑day queer and sex‑positive programming — something that is nearly impossible to achieve in major cities. The region is welcoming, well‑connected, and home to a long tradition of cultural and community projects.

How we're structured

Member‑owned and community‑run

Lusthaven is built on two legal bodies working together. The cooperative owns and stewards the property — a long‑term commitment shared by its members. The association, Lusthaven, runs the programming, hospitality, and day‑to‑day life of the community. Both are democratic. Both are non‑profit. Both exist to serve the people who use the space.

The Cooperative

The Haven Collective SC/CV

The cooperative company that owns the property. Members work toward shares through participation, not capital — one member, one vote. The cooperative holds the community loans, leases the estate to Lusthaven, and is governed through regular assemblies and reserved matters.

The Association

Lusthaven VZW/ASBL

The non‑profit association that operates the venue: events, hospitality, community programming, and daily management. Any surplus is reinvested. Lusthaven pays rent to the cooperative and is accountable to both its own members and the cooperative's oversight.

The people

The founding team

Seven people with the skills — and the stubbornness — to build something this ambitious. What we share is a belief that queer community deserves permanence, beauty, and care.

Teddy Glover
Events & Infrastructure

Teddy has spent years building queer, sex‑positive events that centre care, creativity, and consent. Their work blends logistics with atmosphere — making spaces that feel both safe and alive. Teddy brings the vision for what our programming can be, and the practical experience to make it real in a permanent home.

Felix Faust
Operations & Hospitality

Felix is an experienced venue and hospitality operator with a talent for making complex spaces feel effortless for guests. He brings deep operational knowledge, a calm hand in the chaos of events, and a commitment to creating environments where people feel welcomed, held, and able to be themselves.

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Join us

Help make the dream
a reality.

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