HISTORY

Château de Vignée is a landmark amidst the strong-willed landscape of the Ardennes.

Sprouting from a 400-year-old hunting narrative and acting as a field hospital in the Second World War, the 17th-century castle has always been a stronghold in the Famenne region.

HERE AND NOW

Over the years, Château de Vignée has gained deeper insight into the needs of its guests only to arise anew as a lavish boutique estate. The opulent suites are tailored to unwind, restaurant ARDEN caters to any gastronomical urges while the spa site tends to physical and spiritual solace. The tailored event spaces add to the flourishing spirit of the chateau site.

ANCIENT ROOTS

Drawing from its ancient roots, the chateau is raised from regional marbles and the ruins of the previous building. The interior takes cues from the overwhelming force and beauty of the native scenery surrounding the estate. Aware of its ever-evolving setting, Château de Vignée has aligned with the seasons both aesthetically and gastronomically offering a genuine Ardennes experience.



https://www.chateaudevignee.be/about/

Kasteel van Vignée in Villers-sur-Lesse

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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

Lavaux-Sainte-Anne Castle, locally known as Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne, lies next to the town with the same name, in the province of Namur in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

The castle dates back to the first half of the 15th century when it was built by the Berlo family. It was built on a swampy plain near the small Wimbe river (an affluent of the river Lesse).

In 1450 the keep was built and some years later the castle was strengthened by Jean II de Berlo. Local history has it that he went on crusade in 1453 to free Constantinople of the Turks, but he took so long getting there that he arrived too late.

In 1464 the castle was besieged by the citizens of Dinant. They could not take the castle.

In 1630 the castle was bought by the baron Jacques-Renard de Rouveroy, an infantry colonel in the service of Emperor Ferndinand III. Because of the evolution of war tactics the castle's defenses were rendered useless. So he turned it into a country mansion. He took down one curtain wall and remodeled the facade of the inner courtyard into Italian baroque. He also covered the castle in red bricks and added the bulbous roofs.

During the French Revolution the castle was abandoned and fell to ruin.

In 1934 the castle was bought by a baroness Lemonnier followed by the "Friends of Lavaux-Sainte-Anne Castle"-foundation who restored the castle to its present glory.

Since 1958 the castle houses a museum dedicated to the hunt. 


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

Kasteel van Lavaux-Sainte-Anne

Rochefort Castle, locally known as Vieux Château Comtal de Rochefort, lies in the center of the town with the same name, in the province of Namur in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

A castle was first mentioned at this site in 1155. At that time it was owned by the Montaigu family. Later on it was owned by the Walcourt family and was known as the largest castle in the Famenne region. Not much is known about the history of the castle in those times.

It was built on a strategic location which caused it to be besieged several times.

In 1445 a French colonel; Nadonnet, and his soldiers set up headquarters in the castle to aid the Lord of Rochefort; Evrard de la Marck, in his uprising against the Duke of Burgundy. As a result the bishop of Liège besieged the castle. After several days Nadonnet was bribed and escorted back to France.

In 1651, during the war between France and Spain, the castle was taken by a colonel Latour who served Spain. In 1653 the castle was sieged twice, without result, by French troops. The castle was garrisoned by French imperial troops in 1674.

In 1746 the castle was thoroughly rebuilt into a real palace for the Count of Rochefort. He found the old castle too oldfashioned with its military, and thus unappealing, appearance. He tore down the medieval keep and added a large esplanade built on 10 large arches and French garden.

At the end of the Ancien Régime, in 1774, the castle was stormed by the angry townspeople of Rochefort. It was then owned by the Stolberg family. After the French Revolution the castle was sold. The new owner couldn't pay the cost of its upkeep and started to sell building materials. This eventually turned the castle into a quarry.

A new, neogothic castle was built on a small part of the original castle's foundations in 1904. Since 1966 the castle ruins were consolidated. And from 1987 the castle is maintained by the "Friends of Rochefort Castle"-foundation. The castle can be visited for a small fee. There is a small archaeological exposition. This castle is not very spectacular but nice to visit when you are in the neighbourhood. I especially liked the arches under the esplanade with the hanging plants.

Rochefort Castle

Le Château de Resteigne disposant de différentes salles, d’une grange, d’un parking, d’une chapelle et de jardins sera le lieu idéal pour votre réception, vos mariages, team building, anniversaires,…

Resté authentique, avec sa tour cochère, son corps de logis de style Louis XV, sa chapelle néogothique et ses espaces insensés, le Château de Resteigne datant du XVIeme siècle, renvoie à notre imaginaire d’enfants, peuplé de chevaliers et de seigneurs…

Le Château de Resteigne, situé en bord de Lesse dans un parc fleuri, vous offre l’infrastructure idéale pour votre réception, vos mariages, diners de Noël, week-ends familiaux, ou événements d’entreprise, sans oublier les manifestations de plus grande ampleur qui peuvent prendre place sous chapiteaux dans la cour ou dans le parc.

Les premières sources situent les origines du château de Resteigne au 12ème siècle. Même si de nombreuses modifications de l’architecture initiale ont été réalisées au cours des siècles qui ont suivi, le matériau choisi pour la construction (le moellon de calcaire) a toujours été respecté. Au 19ème siècle, le château est occupé par Edmond d’Hoffschmidt (1777-1861), ermite philosophe. Il marqua l’histoire de Resteigne par ses œuvres philanthropiques dont on retrouve la trace sur sa pierre tombale au cimetière de la commune.


http://www.chateauderesteigne.be/chateau/#son-histoire

Kasteel van Resteigne

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

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

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

Click on the small pictures to see them bigger, click on the bigger picture for a maxi version
This castle was dominating the city of Beauraing, until on December 3rd 1889 over ight a huge fire only left the walls and towers, changing it into ruins. This was a tragic happening: the castle had been sold, and it's furniture was to be sold in Cologne. The workers who had to pack the stuff, had taken pertol lamps to have enough light... probably the cause of the fire.

But this was not the first time that the castle was seriously damaged:

On May 22nd, 1436 the castle was the battleground between Jehan II of Herbigny and the bishop Liège.
The major of Givet, a certain De le Colle, destroyed the castle during the French Revolution with his soldiers.


The French architect Mestral restaurated the castle (paid by the duke of d'Osana). At those days, the calste was very attractive. There were greenhouses with plants from all over the world... and even 2 monkeys. Quite some famous people visisted the castle... of which we name the future king of England...


http://www.belgiumview.com/belgiumview/tl3/view0000210.php4?pictoshow=0000210ab

Kasteel Sainte-Marie in Beauraing

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

Jemeppe Castle, also known as Hargimont Castle, is a castle in Hargimont, now part of the municipality of Marche-en-Famenne, province of Luxembourg, Belgium.

History
It is known that during the Roman era a fortified villa was established in the region. The present castle is however of medieval origin.

In the Middle Ages the manor of Jemeppe consisted of only a few buildings, surrounded by marshland and the river Hedrée. These offered little protection against the ruling families of Namur and Luxembourg, who had been fighting to gain control of the territories of Durbuy and La Roche since the 12th century. A fortified house was built here in the early 13th century, later replaced by Jean d'Ochain with a donjon protected by moats.

Originally, the donjon had five storeys. Access to the upper and lower floors and the two cellars is via the ground floor, through the only door in the tower. The first two floors were designed as living quarters, and the two floors above that were of a more basic design and used as staff quarters, for storage, and to provide shelter for inhabitants from the manor of Jemeppe seeking refuge.

The donjon remained in the d'Ochain family until 1616, when the heiress, Catherine de Jemeppe, married Raes d'Ans, sieur de Velroux. It was probably Raes d'Ans, shortly after acquiring the property, who extended the fortified tower with living quarters into a square castle building. The wings of the castle, double moat and farmstead also date from that period. The wings were modernized in 1739 and 1748, and more windows were added. Restoration work was also carried out at the beginning of the 19th century, including on the gallery and the gatehouse next to the donjon.

In 1838, the castle passed to the de Sauvage-Vercour family. Between 1865 and 1875, Adrien de Sauvage-Vercour had extensive renovation work carried out on the castle. Attics and pitched roofs were added to the wings. He also commissioned an unknown architect to build a "crowning apex" on the donjon, and the old flat roof was replaced by the present steep roof. After the work was completed, weathervanes in medieval style were added to the tower roofs. One of the vanes still bears the de Sauvage-Vercour monogram.