Château Miranda (English: Miranda Castle), also known as Château de Noisy (English: Noisy Castle) was a 19th-century neo-Gothic castle in Celles, province of Namur, Belgium, in the region of the Ardennes. As of October 2017, the chateau has been completely demolished.

History

The Château was planned and designed in 1866 by the English architect Edward Milner under commission from the Liedekerke-De Beaufort family, who had left their previous home, Vêves Castle, during the French Revolution. Milner died in 1884 before the Château was finished. Construction was completed in 1907 after the clock tower was erected.

Their descendants remained in occupation until World War II. A small portion of the Battle of the Bulge took place on the property, and it was during that time that the Château was occupied by German forces.[citation needed]

In 1950, Château Miranda was renamed "Château de Noisy" when it was taken over by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB) as an orphanage and also a holiday camp for sickly children. It lasted as a children's camp until the late 1970s.

The Château stood empty and abandoned since 1991 because the costs to maintain it were too great, and a search for investors in the property failed. Although the municipality of Celles had offered to take it over, the family refused, and the enormous building lingered in a derelict state, succumbing to decay and vandalism. Parts of the structure were heavily damaged in a fire and many areas of the ceiling were beginning to collapse. Despite this, it became a favorite venue for Urban Exploration.

Demolition of Château Miranda

Demolition work began in 2016, amid concern over the structural stability of the building. The demolition took approximately a year, which began in October 2016 with removal of the roof. By October 2017, the chateau had been completely demolished. The last part to be removed, was the iconic central tower.

Miranda Castle

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The Castle of Vêves occupies a rocky platform just outside the village of Celles, in the province of Namur, Belgium. It is classified as Major Heritage of Wallonia. According to tradition, the site has been occupied by castles since the time of Pippin of Herstal (7th century). In the later Middle Ages, the area fell under control of the Beaufort family, which oversaw the construction of a stronghold here in about 1230.

The present castle, in the form of an irregular pentagon and flanked by six round towers of varying size, dates largely from around 1410. Successive restorations modified especially the walls of the inner courtyard, one of which is lined with a distinctive half-timbered gallery of two levels, and another of which was given a red brick facade in the Louis XV style. The northern frontage is crowned with a small cupola containing a clock.

Kasteel van Vêves

Ardenne Castle, or the Royal Castle of Ardenne (Château Royal d'Ardenne, formerly also spelled "Hardenne") was situated in the municipality of Houyet in Belgium not far from Ciergnon Castle. The construction of the building was ordered in 1874 by King Leopold II of Belgium, to the plans of his architect Alphonse Balat. It replaced an older hunting lodge built in the 1830s by Leopold I.

King Leopold II wanted to promote the Belgian region of the Ardennes as a holiday destination for the fashionable set. To this end he had his château converted into a luxury hotel. A railway station in the corner of the park made the remote castle accessible to tourists. An 18-hole golf course was installed in the park. The Compagnie Internationale des Grands Hotels ran the hotel from 1898 onwards. It finally closed its doors in 1950, and was then destroyed by fire in 1968. The remains were demolished in 1970.

Today only the "Tour Léopold", a pavilion in the beautiful park, remains of the vast castle. It serves as a club house to the Royal Golf Club du Château Royal d'Ardenne.



Château Royal d'Ardenne

Walzin Castle is a castle in Belgium in the province Namur over the river Lesse near Dinant. Construction began in the 13th century, and the 15th-century Renaissance horseshoe tower with four cannon ports still exists, even though the castle was burned down by the French army in 1554. There were several restorations later, the latest by Baron Fréderic Brugman between 1930 and 1932. Victor Hugo made a drawing of it in 1863.



Walzin Castle

The castle of Freÿr with its gardens in the style of Le Nôtre is located on the left bank of the Meuse, between Waulsort and Dinant (province of Namur, Belgium). They form one of the most magnificent natural sites in Belgium. It has been classified as one of Wallonia's major heritage sites.

The castle
Dating back to the Middle Ages, Freÿr was a keep given in fief by the Count of Namur to Jean de Rochefort Orjol in 1378. His granddaughter Marie married Jacques de Beaufort in 1410. Their descendants have kept the estate until the present.

Outside
The keep was destroyed in 1554 by the French during the wars against Emperor Charles V. The oldest part of the current castle, the east wing, was built in 1571 and is one of the first examples of the "Renaissance Mosane" style.

During the 17th century the house was enlarged by the addition of three wings, forming a square with the original wing.

Around 1760 the south wing was pulled down and replaced by a wrought iron gate reminiscent of Jean Lamour's masterpiece in Nancy, closing the inner yard to give the castle its current appearance.

The gardens

Designed in the style of André Le Nôtre in 1760 by Canon Guillaume de Beaufort-Spontin and enlarged by his brother Philippe in 1770, the gardens are set on walled terraces on the left bank of the Meuse. They offer views towards the woods to the north and towards the Meuse to the east, and their peace and serenity contrast with the naked rockface on the far bank.

Ponds and fountains babble on the lower level where orange trees spread their delicate perfume. Most of them are 350 years old. The trees came to Freÿr in the first part of the 18th century from Lunéville, the residence of the Duke of Lorraine. They are the oldest trees in cases in Europe (Icomos Conference Orangerien in Europa - Von fürstlichem Vermögen und gärtnerischer Kunst, Bamberg 2005). The wooden cases are still built according to the original design. The oldest orangery of the Low Countries (early 18th century) combines elegance and simplicity.

The upper level is covered by hedge mazes (6 km) that unveil their mysteries one by one: a set of patterns inspired by card game figures, a theme also present in the terra cotta statues made by Cyfflé.

At the very top of the gardens, the Rococo pavilion commands the view on the Meuse and seduces by its delicate stucco decoration, based on the theme of fertility with cornucopia and Tritons.

The right bank of the Meuse is dominated by cliffs (more than 100 m high, 340 million years old), from which one has an exceptional view of the estate.

Castle of Freÿr


The fortress of Crèvecoeur (literally "heartbreaker") in the village of Bouvignes-sur-Meuse is one of the major feudal castles around Dinant, along with Poilvache, Montaigle, Vêves and Spontin.

History
The first written mention of Bouvignes dates back to the 7th century. The original name, Boviniacum or Bovingen, translates as "property of Bovon". The discovery of a Merovingian cemetery as well as the Germanic origin of the name clearly indicate that Bouvignes started as a Frankish settlement.

The first fortress of Bouvignes was built by Godefroy, Count of Namur, in the 11th century. Henry the Blind of Luxembourg had it surrounded by a wall in 1176, and the church of Saint-Lambert was built soon afterwards. The keep was erected in the early 14th century, when Bouvignes and Dinant experienced their worst confrontation.

In 1554, King Henry II of France laid siege to Bouvignes and its castle. When the three last knights perished protecting the castle, their wives chose to throw themselves from the cliff rather than fall to the enemy. This story earned the castle its tragic name: Crèvecoeur.


https://www.eupedia.com/belgium/crevecoeur.shtml

Crèvecœur Castle


Leignon Castle, locally known as Château de Leignon, lies next to the village of the same name, in the province of Namur in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

Before Leignon Castle was built there was an earlier building on this site, dating back to the 17th century, on an old estate belonging to the Stavelot Abbey. Around 1890 the estate with all its buildings were bought by Isidore Jacques Eggermont, a Belgian diplomat from Ghent. He then had everything completely rebuilt by the Belgian architect Auguste Van Assche, giving the castle its present appearance.

In 1953 the castle was bought from the Eggermont family by the National Railway Company of Belgium. Later that century the estate was gradually broken up. The castle is now a private residence again. The stables and the outbuildings are home to a youth organisation organizing horse camps and the lands are part of a separate farm.





https://www.castles.nl/leignon-castle

Kasteel van Leignon

Ciergnon Castle, or the Royal Castle of Ciergnon (Château Royal de Ciergnon; Koninklijk kasteel van Ciergnon) is a residence and summer retreat of the Belgian Royal Family situated near the town of Ciergnon in the municipality of Houyet, province of Namur. The castle is a property of the Belgian Royal Trust.

The domain with its woods, river and vast hunting grounds was acquired in 1840 by King Leopold I of Belgium at the request of his spouse Queen Louise-Marie. At first a hunting lodge was erected on a beautiful terrace overlooking a deep forested valley. The present château was erected later by King Leopold II of Belgium. The edifice was designed by his court architect Alphonse Balat. Since then it has always served as a holiday retreat to the Royal Family. In 1960 it was the venue for the press presentation of King Baudouin's fiancé Dona Fabiola de Mora y Aragon.

More recently the children of Philippe, King of the Belgians, Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eléonore were baptised in the chapel of the château.

The Royal Family also owned other castles in the direct vicinity of Ciergnon. Fenffe Castle is still in use as a holiday retreat by the royal family. Ardenne Castle was, according to the wish of King Leopold II, converted into a luxury hotel. It was closed after World War II and destroyed by fire in 1968.

Royal Castle of Ciergnon

Histoire

Le parc Saint-Roch, bel espace vert de la ville, tire son nom du passé des lieux qu'il occupe.
Il est établi à l'extérieur de la ville historique. On y trouvait jadis, des pâtures et la maladrerie de Ciney qui portait le nom de « Chapelle et Ermitage Saint-Roch ».
Au Moyen-Age, ce site faisait partie d'un vaste espace de près servant de terrains de pâturage aux moutons, chèvres, brebis des bourgeois aisés de la Cité : le Cocriasaurt.
Le nom Sainfoin lui a été donné à partir des 18e et 19e siècles et évoque les nombreuses pâtures qui s'y trouvaient.

Lorsqu'il a fait construire son château, le notaire Boseret a vendu une partie de la propriété afin de financer les travaux de la demeure et comme les Capucins cherchaient un lieu pour construire une église, il leur vendit une partie.
Le parc fut aménage avec des arbres majestueux plantés, un étang en bas de la propriété, deux magnifiques drèves...
En 1961, les héritiers Boseret- de Wouters vendent 12ha du domaine à la commune. La ville devient également propriétaire des terrains et du couvent des Capucins. Les bâtiments du CPAS, le terrain de foot et la Cipale y sont aménagés ainsi qu'un nouveau quartier résidentiel.

Dans les années 60', un camping sera installé dans le parc, à l'initiative de l'échevin Victor Barbeaux. Il a fermé dans les années 90'.

Le parc est classé comme site depuis le 25 septembre 1997.

L'extérieur du Château

Le château est une grosse bâtisse en calcaire, anciennement château Sainfoin. Il a été édifié en 1906 par Jospeh Boseret (1853-1933), notaire du Roi Léopold II.
Il est construit sur l'emplacement d'une ancienne ferme, « la ferme de Sainfoin », qui fut exploitée jusqu'à la fin du 19e siècle. En subsistent les dépendances en U du côté du NE.

Joseph Boseret avait en premier lieu, le secret espoir de réserver le parc au Roi Léopold II. En effet, le Roi cherchait des terrains un peu isolés le long de la ligne de chemin de fer Bruxelles-Luxembourg pour y construire des résidences secondaires. Ce vœu ne se réalisa pas et donc Joseph Boseret fit construire le château pour lui et sa famille. Le notaire voyait grand, car son château fut décorer avec des matériaux de luxe et s'inspirant du Petit Trianon à Paris.
C'est également dans ce château que Lord Montgomery a séjourné 1 ou 2 jours, en décembre 1944, lors de l'offensive Von Rundstedt.
Le château a connu ensuite plusieurs usages avant de devenir le Conservatoire de Musique.
En 1963, le château est loué aux Entreprises Demarche et la famille Mattard y tient un restaurant haut de gamme, ainsi qu'un hôtel à l'étage.
Jusqu'en mars 1978, il est également le lieu de réunion de nombreuses associations cinaciennes.

La Ville de Ciney souhaitait changer l'Académie de Musique, qui avait ses locaux au Caméo (ancien cinéma - Rue Edouard Dinot) et l'installer dans le château.
La ville souhaitait donc mettre fin anticipativement au bail de Monsieur Demarche. Après de nombreux rebondissements et de procès, l'Académie peut enfin s'installer dans ses nouveaux locaux en 1981.

Actuellement, on trouve, d'une part, la crèche communale de Ciney et d'autre part, la Maison des Jeunes.



http://www.ciney.be/chateau-et-parc-saint-roch

Kasteel van Saint-Roch in Ciney

Poilvache Castle (French: Château de Poilvache) is a ruined medieval castle in the Walloon municipality of Yvoir in the province of Namur, Belgium, overlooking the village of Houx from a clifftop on the Meuse River.

History

The present ruins date from the 15th century, although there has been a fortification on the site since the time of Charlemagne. The Liégeois town of Poilvache, a thriving walled town, protected by a castle, with a prosperous economy and its own mint, and allied to Duke Philippe the Good, virtually ceased to exist following its 1430 siege by the rebellious Prince-Bishop of Liège, Jean de Heynsbergh, and an estimated army of 30,000 Liégeois, Dinantais and Hutois. The Dinantais besiege Montaigle Castle in 1465 for the same reasons but Montaigle was destroyed in the 16th century by the army of Henri II of France.

It is impossible to see the whole site of Poilvache but it is the whole site which is ranked as Wallonia's Major Heritage.

From the top of these rocks it is possible to see the isle in the river where the German army and its armoured divisions crossed (in the North of the isle), the river Meuse on 13 May 1940.

Poilvache Castle


Spontin Castle is a medieval castle in the village of Spontin in the municipality of Yvoir, province of Namur, Belgium. It has massive walls, its towers topped with slate and a moat with drawbridge.

History
Spontin was built in a bend of the Bocq, whose water flows around the castle along some cascading waterfalls

The castle belonged to the noble family of Beaufort (named after a castle near Huy). Between 1266 and 1284, Pierre de Beaufort built the main tower which is the core of the castle. In 1288, his son William (Guillaume), nicknamed the "Ardennes", participated in the Battle of Woeringen. For his bravery in battle, in which Henry VII of Luxembourg was defeated, he was rewarded with the fiefdom of Spontin. From that time, the lords of the castle Spontin constantly added various outbuildings up to the 16th century when it gained its present form.

Spontin Castle was on a 'dangerous' place in the border region between the County of Namur and the Principality of Liège, and although it was assaulted by armies from Liege, Dinant, Burgundy, and France, it was never taken.

From the late sixteenth century, the fortifications became redundant and unnecessary, the castle is transformed into a residence by the drilling of windows and is accented with red bricks and roofs pepper. The last two transformations are the construction of a fortified farm beyond the moat (1622) and demolition of the rear part of the fortifications. In the parade, decorated with an elegant frame of wrought iron sink Van Boeckel (nineteenth century), featuring former dungeon. The rooms of the old house, with huge walls, chimneys, and Gothic woodwork Louis XIII, the sandstone paving, constrastent by their austerity with the apartments, and there is a well carved into a wall. The southern part has been decorated in the nineteenth century in the Gothic Revival. Currently, the castle is closed to the public, this is private property.

After the fall of the Ancien Régime, the castle was owned by a number of people, until eventually it was purchased by SA Société du Château de Spontin, which entrusted the management of the association Les Cimaises the Spontin. Due to mismanagement of previous owners, the castle is now in a precarious state of neglect.