Barre d'outils
Castles of Belgium
Belgium can boast a number of great castles that illustrate the beauty of different styles throughout the centuries.
From mediaeval fortresses to residential castles, you'll be spoilt for choice among the most romantic and adventurous mansions.
Find below a list of the most famous castles with a large array of styles and attractive features.
Check the links and discover the ancient marvels of Belgium!
Castle and Gardens of Freÿr sur Meuse (HASTIERE) © OPT - JL Flemal With an air of Versailles about it, the Castle of Freÿr occupies a grandiose Renaissance style setting on the banks of the River Meuse. Dating mainly from the 18th century, the magnificent Renaissance style residence has a refined and cosmopolitan interior that witnessed the first European tasting of coffee professedly reported in a text from 1675. The sweeping classical gardens, laid out in fa variety of styles, are home to 300-year-old orange trees and orangeries, among the oldest of the country. There is also a six-kilometre maze in which you can go and get lost or, rather, lie at the feet of the Trianon day-dreaming. |
Castle of Attre (ATTRE) © OPT - JP Remy The remarkable, historic Château d'Attre is one of the most authentic of 18th century Belgium. Its landscaped grounds with their artificiall rock, and its drawing rooms with the original wallpaper all appear unscathed by the passing of time. The Louis XV style château comprises a main body flanked by two relatively short wings set at right angles to it. The two floors were built from local sandstone, limestone and brick faced with finishing plaster. The homogeneity and brightness of the rooms are characteristic of this château which dates from the latter half of the 18th century and whose decor, furnishings and art collections are original. Behind the château are grounds that stretch over 17 ha. |
Castle of Celles-Vêves (CELLES) © OPT - I.Monfort Under the dominion of Pepin de Herstal in the 8th century, the fortress of the Sires de Beaufort, who reconstructed it in 1410, subsequently became the residence of their heirs, the Counts of Liederkerke Beaufort, Vêves, and after a series of battles and troubles, can nowadays be admired in all its harmony and technical mastery of military architecture.... |
Castle of Deulin (HOTTON) © Château de Deulin / Globalview Built from 1758 onwards by Guillaume-Joseph de Harlez, the castle was then completed and decorated by his son Simon-Joseph de Harlez in 1770. It is shaped in a "U", with lime bricks and blue stone, slate roofs, and counts a number of outbuildings in the yard. Seigniorial chapel dedicated to Saint Remacle, decorated with baroque stucco and master altar. The Interior of the castle is richly decorated, specifically with rococo or neoclassical stucco and canvasses painted by Jean-Diedonné Deneux. To the north lies walled up garden from the 18th century replanted in French style in the beginning of the 20th century. At the back, nice viewpoint on the Ourthe and the landscape park with an important heritage of trees from the 2nd half of the 19th century, which was declared part of the exceptional Walloon heritage in 2003. |
Castle of Harzé - Milling and Baking Museum (HARZE) © WBT / Joseph Jeanmart At the doors of the Ardennes, in the unique setting of the Castle of Harzé (17th century), the Milling and Bakery Museum will take you through the extraordinary adventure of making bread, harvesting grain and processing flour with old mills.... |
Castle of Lavaux-Sainte-Anne (LAVAUX-SAINTE-ANNE) © Château de Lavaux-Sainte Anne / Alain Petit Discover the castle of Lavaux-Saint-Anne, its three museums and the wetland... |
CASTLE OF MODAVE (MODAVE) © OPT / J-L. Flemal Superb 17th century castle situated on a rock. Inside the castle, where about twenty richly decorated and furnished rooms are open to the public, one may admire remarkable ceilings, works of succo worker Jean-Christian Hansche, sculptures, paintings, Brussels tapestries and furniture dating from the XVIIIth century. There is also an accurate replica, made to scale, of the hydraulic wheel built by Rennequin Sualem (1667) that was used as a model for the machine at Marly. |
Castle of the Princes of Chimay (CHIMAY) © OPT / J.L. Flemal In the year 1000, the chronicles already referred to a donjon designed to watch over the valley of the Eau Blanche river. This was the point where the Castle of Chimay was to be constructed... |
Château de Jehay (AMAY) © GlobalView / Simon Schmitt As you come around the woods, you will see before you the Château de Jehay, an imposing 16th-century edifice surrounded by moats... |
Château d'Havré (HAVRE) © OPT - S.Wittenbol The Havré castle is a beautiful ancient building dating back to the 12th century just on the outskirts of Mons. |
Estate of the Seneffe Castle - Silver Museum (SENEFFE) © Domaine Seneffe The Château de Seneffe was awarded the 2011 Museums Prize (Jury Prize) |
FEUDAL CASTLE OF LA ROCHE EN ARDENNE (LA ROCHE-EN-ARDENNE) © SI La Roche - O Lefevre Perched on the Deister rocky spur, this site has over time housed a Neolithic residence, a Roman, the house of the Kings of the Franks. Overhanging the city and the Ourthe, nestled in the middle of nature, it truly makes La Roche "The pearl of the Ardennes". Despite all the changes endured by the castle (excavations have brought new halls as well as remains from the 15th century to the surface), the actual ruins with their towers, arrow slits and oubliettes, have retained the feel of feudal times. |
Fortified Castle of Bouillon and its Bird of Prey Spectacle (BOUILLON) © J. Barras The castle-fortress of Bouillon is one of the most ancient and interesting remains of feudalism in Belgium |
FORTIFIED CASTLE OF ECAUSSINNES-LALAING (ECAUSSINNES-LALAING) © Fondation van der Burch Still marked with medieval austerity, this historical monument keeps alive the memory of the big families who lived here: the Lalaings, the Croÿs, the van der Burchs. Whilst the ground floor (dungeon, gothic chapel, ancient kitchen, arms room) evokes the Middle Ages, the first floor calls back to mind the 17th century. The very varied collections make the fortress an interesting museum. |
Franchimont Castle (THEUX) © Compagnons de Franchimont asbl The Franchimont castle was built on a rocky outcrop dominating three valleys north of the Ardennes, at about 8 km from Spa |
LES AMIS DU CHATEAU D'HERBEUMONT (HERBEUMONT)These 13th century medieval ruins that are situated on a rocky Spur that dominates the village of Herbeumont are another of Wallonia's exceptional sites. Erected by Jehan of Rochefort, son of the House of Walcourt, in the year 1268, the castle has been occupied during the following centuries by other families: the La Marck Rochefort, the House of Stolberg and the House of Lowenstein. It was burnt down in 1657 by the French troops of Marshal de la Ferté on the orders of Louis XIV. |
LOGNE FORTRESS (VIEUXVILLE) © Falconidae / Ronny Broos Erected in the twelfth century by the Abbot of Stavelot, Wibald, the castle was given to Everard II of la Marck, lord of Aremberg, in 1427 and became the fief of this formidable family. In 1521, the fortress was attacked by the armies of Charles V who tore it down. In 1967, the ruins became the property of the Liège Province. The fortress is divided into three parts: a donjon tower, thick walls with a high court around which the seigniorial living quarters were laid and from which the caves, the kitchen and the rest of the buildings and several systems subside. One thing worth noting is the exceptional view offered by the fortress over the Ourthe and Lembree valleys and the family's treasure. |
LOUVIGNIES CASTLE (CHAUSSEE-NOTRE-DAME-LOUVIGNIE) © Tous droits réservés HCD asbl - DIN Consult sprl - 2003 The castle of Louvignies with its turrets and pinnacles recalls the eclectic and neo renaissance architecture of the late 19th century. Its interior decoration, furniture and objects have remained and form a complete specimen of the Belle Epoque. You should definitely go see the kitchen. It was chosen by film maker Claude Berri for Germinal and by François Ozon for his last film. The English-style landscape park designed by Louis Fuchs in 1870, the ice room and its vegetable garden are definitely worth a visit. |
MEDIEVAL RUINS OF POILVACHE (FORMER MERAUDE) (YVOIR)Poilvache (13th-15th c.) is one of the vasted medieval castles of the Middle Meuse (2,5 ha). It was the scene of famous sieges such as the one of 1238 in which Bishop Jean d'Eppes died, or the one of 1430, when the castle was destroyed. The grand and picturesque ruins appealed for a long time the verve and imagination of poets and literary men. Many legends are connected and the spreading of them is favoured by the large pieces of darkness that surround its origins. Bought by the State in 1968 and converted into a Natural Reserve in 1976, Poilvache is again open to the public and forms since 1992 part of the "Patrimoine majeur de la Région Wallonne" (Major Heritage of the Walloon Region). |
PARK AND CASTLE OF BELOEIL (BELOEIL) © OPT - JP Remy The castle of Beloeil, owned by the Princes de Ligne since the 14th century, is completely furnished and houses a rich collection of art objects from the 15th to the 19th century with its famous library with 20000 books. The French-style garden, a harmonious alternation of water and greenery, shadow and light, stretches out over 25 ha through which a small train takes you along for a tour. |
Reinhardstein Château in Metternich (ROBERTVILLE) © OPT / S.Wittenbol Built in 1352 by Renaud de Waimes, the castle was home to many a family, including the Nesselrode, the Nassau and finally the counts of Metternich, who were lords of the region for more than three centuries. It was destroyed during the French Revolution and entirely rebuilt in 1969, and is nowadays a living museum, where you can discover armours, collections of weapons and halberds, tapestries and furniture of the period. |
RUINS AND MUSEUM OF THE FORTRESS OF MONTAIGLE (FALAEN) © OPT - JL FLEMAL The Montaigle castle, the former count's residence (14th century) that is listed as exceptional Walloon Heritage is built on a rocky spur, in a romantic setting. Video. Animations for schools.... |
