Enchanting castles

Remember you can click on the small pictures to get a big one

CORROY-LE-CHATEAU

The origin of this well kept castle is situated somewhere in the 13th century. Its current look came about in 1270 when Philippe and Godfried of Vianden did alterations. Although it underwent several alternations throughout the centuries, it never lost its impressive solid looks. The castle was never pillaged or destroyed. The Nassau family kept the castle for centuries. From 1400 to 1550 it was the family Nassau – Dillemburg and from 1540 until 1890 it was the family Nassau – Corroy who inhabited the castle. Count Joseph – Ignace did some restorations in 1718 and 1740. His granddaughter Amélie married with Marquis Gillion of Trazegnies. Since then the castle is property of the Trazegnies dynasty.
With its seven towers the castle is really an impressive example of military engineering. Once you walk through the massive gate house you are entering a huge courtyard. There used to be a massive keep on the courtyard but unfortunately Count Joseph – Ignance pulled that down in the 18th century. I visited the castle in September 2001. The guided tour takes you through many rooms and halls. The interior is simply beautiful. The chapel is one of the oldest in Belgium. It is situated in the canter tower and dates back to the 13th century. The dome is resting on neo gothic pillars. When I was there the tour was given in French but it is also possible to get the tour in other languages. You find the castle close to Gembloux. Take the highway Brussels to Namen and take the exit Gembloux and than follow the signs.
The castle is open from May 1st until the last weekend of September on Sundays, Saturdays and national holidays. From 10 to 12 AM and 2 to 6 PM.
The bottom four pics are scanned from postcards

ATTRE

The castle of Attre as we see it now, was built in the middle of the 18th century by Count François Philippe Franeau d’Hyon van Gomegnies. It was erected on the foundation of a middle age castle that was in the hands of the family since 1520. The structural work was finished in 1752. Count François died in 1755. His son François Ferdinand Franeau d’Hyon continued the work of his father and he took care that the interior decorations were finished. It took more than 30 years before the interior was completely decorated. The castle is in a neo classical style and the interiors are French, mainly from the Lodewijk 15th period. After a visit to the castle you can also walk in the park that is situated behind the castle. You will find there a pigeon tower that was part of the old castle. If you walk further in the park you will find the unique 18th century massive artificial rock. The top looks likes a ruin of an ancient castle and throughout the rock are many passages. In these passages it is fantastically pitch black.
I visited the castle in September 2001. The tour (given in French) with a guide, lasted about 40 minutes. The interior of the castle is really beautiful. You will find the castle of Attre in the province of Henegouwen. It is not far from the city Ath along route N56.
The castle can be visited from April 1st until the end of October on the weekends and National holidays. The castle is open every day in July and August

BELOEIL

The history of this castle goes back to the beginning of the 12th century. It was the property of the Lords of Beloeil until it came in the hands of the family of the Princes The Ligne. This noble family enlarged and beautified the old castle. They only kept the four towers and now nothing is left of the original view. The castle as we see it now was built by Claire-Marie van Nassau the Princess de Ligne in 1680 and after she passed away her son proceeded with the works. The castle is heavenly inspired by 17th French architecture features. Still it keeps a bit of it’s middle age pride because of the four corner towers. The castle and the gardens were already famous in the 17th century. Disaster struck in 1900 when the main building was destroyed by a fire. The inhabitants of the village were luckily able to save most of the furniture and the priceless art. The castle was rebuild under the leadership of the French architect, Sanson.
I visited the castle in September 2001. You can walk freely in the castle and it is loaded with art and 17th century furniture. The library hold 20,000 volumes with a large amount of rare manuscripts. The famous French gardens are 120ha and they date from the 17th century. Field Marshal Charles – Joseph, Prince De Ligne added in the 18th century English gardens. Although the weather was horrid and it poured rain during my visit I couldnt help but enjoy it. The castle is open from Eastern until the end of May during the weekends and on holidays from 10am until 18pm. From June until the end of September everyday during the same hours. The castle is close to the city Ath. Follow the N7 in the direction of Doornik and exit at Beloeil and visit this symbol of a family which has left its mark on Belgium’s history.
The five pics on the bottom are scanned from postcards

ANTOING

The present neo gothic castle stands in the middle of the remains of an ancient fortress. It was the home of some of the most famous families of medieval Henegouwen. For example Isabeau married in the 14th century with Prince Hendrik of Brabant and later, she married Prince Alfons of Castilië. However, it was with her third husband Viscount of Melun that she finally got a male heir. The Melun’s became in 1545 the Prince of Epinoy. This family would show up in history many times. For example Princess Christine of Lalaing of Epinoy fought on the battlements with her troops against the army of Alexander Fernese. The descendents of the Epinoy lineage, the Prince of de Ligne took great care of the castle. A large part of the 13th century battlements are still standing. In addition, the 15th century barbican is still standing proud. The keep of Jan of Melun (1432) was incorporated in the current castle. The castle would be a perfect backdrop for any Knight movie or novel. I visited the castle in September 2001. It was a thunderous rainy day during my visit which only added to the ambiance of the place. The guided tour takes you along the ancient battlements to the crypt and ends in the massive castle keep. Here you can visit several rooms. For the brave, there is the possibility to climb all the way to the top of the keep where the view is simply breathtaking. The tour was given in French. To get there you take the E42, take Exit 31 and follow the N404 to the center of Antoing. You can’t miss it, as this massive castle dominates the village. The castle is open for visits every Sunday afternoon starting at May 15 th until the last weekend of September. Tours are given at 3, 4 and 5 pm.
The top left, middle and right picture are scanned from postcards

TER ELST

Castle Ter Elst is together with the Antwerp castle Steen one of the oldest buildings in the province of Antwerp. The history goes back to the early dark ages. We can follow the history of the castle via written documents back to the 12th century. The castle was back then property of the
brothers “Hildinckhusen”, the oldest know lords of Duffel. In 1356 the castle became property of the abbey of Tongerlo and this would stay like that until the French revolution. The abbots turned the castle into a beautiful estate. Famous people stayed in the castle for a short or longer time. “Margaretha of York” often dropped by between 1477 and 1503. Another famous guest was “Filips De Schone”. He liked the castle so much that he wanted to buy it. To all this splendour came an abruptly end with the religious wars. Part of the castle was burned down in 1584. But the castle was rebuilt in an even more beautiful manor. At the end of the 16th century the castle turned into a haven for priests who had to fled their parish in those troubled years. The castle grew into a small abbey during the 17th century. This would change in 1799 when the castle was confiscated (like every religious good after the French revolution) and sold for 250.000 bef to “Louis Hermans”. The castle was partly destroyed during the battle of the Nete in 1914. Governor Baron “Holvoet” wanted to buy the castle to rebuild it and to turn it into the city hall. This was however rejected by the city council. So the castle stayed empty and turned through the years into a ruin. The city council decided in 1972 finally to buy the ruin. Alderman “L. Hellemans” was the driving force behind the restoration of the ruin and in 1982 he was able to open the ruin and park to the public. The once so majestic and beautiful castle is now more then 800 years after its erection not more then a tragic ruin reflecting in the moat. You will find the ruin of Ter Elst in the city of Duffel. The entrance is free.

LA HULPE

Marquis “Maximiliaan Bethune – Hesdigneul” purchased 220 hectare of forest and erected a castle on the highest point that looks like the mighty castles you find in the French Loire area. The castle was finished in 1842. The good is sold in 1871 to Baron “Antoine de Roest d’Alkemade” who sells it in 1893 to “Ernest Solvay”. The name Solvay is now world famous as the chemical multinational of the same name. “Ernest” is enormously wealthy and puts his money to good use. The schools, libraries and scientific institutes he founded are numerous. The year 1929 starts the restorations, which continue until 1932. “Ernest” donated the castle and enormous park to the Belgian government in 1968.
The castle is not open although you can rent it for parties, meetings, weddings, etc. The 220 hectare park is open and free to walk in. This park is gigantic and it seems to go on forever. Parts of the park have nice lawns and flowerbeds yet leaving large parts still savage forest. A great place to spend a summer day with a bountiful filled picnic basket and romantic walks with your lover. You can reach the castle by taking the E411 Brussels – Namen, take Exit 3 and follow the signs.

CHATEAU OBERT DE THIEUSIES

"Charles-François de la Marlière" built this castle in 1768 in the Louix XV style. The castle is still the property of the descendent of "Charles-François de la Marlière", the Viscounts Obert de Thieusie. In the park of 15 hectares, are three lakes. There is also a small French Garden and an orangerie. (Picture and info provided by Tanguy Rivière)

BAUVOORDE

For this castle we have to travel back in time to the beginning of the 17th century. Bailiff Jacob de Bryarde, a descendant of a very important family of the area erects castle Beauvoorde. The castle still looks pretty much the same, as it was build back then. Nobleman Arthur Merghelynck becomes owner of the castle in 1875 when he is 22 years old. He restores the castle like it was in the 17th century. He also is responsible for the English park. He starts to collect a vast collection of furniture and artwork. All of this is kept in the castle and can still be admired now. When you walk through the door it is like going back in time. Time stood still since 1904 when Merghelynck passed away. In 1902 he bequeath the castle and its interior to the Royal Academy for Dutch language and literature. Witch the assignment to take care of the castle and its collections and to open it to the public. Because of this we are now able to walk through this small but beautiful castle and its rich interiors. I visited the castle in August 2001 and a ticket was 100bef. The castle is certainly worth a visit. You only can visit the castle with a guided tour. Tours are at certain days and hours so better to inform before visiting. Tel/Fax: +30 +58299229. The castle is situated a long road N8 Veurne to Ieper and there are plenty of signs that will lead you to the castle.

HAM

The history of this castle goes back to the early 14th century. When the family van Hamme owned it between 1353 and 1473. Filips Hinckart built the current castle between 1490 and 1505 on the remains of a 13th century stronghold. The castle became a massive square building in white sandstone. It has a closed and defensive character. Famous and prominent people inhabited the castle constantly until the dawn of World War II. The last resident were Empress Zita, widow of Karel van Oostenrijk and her son Otto van Habsburg. They entertained a lot of European kings in the castle during the period 1929-1939. The Germans confiscated the castle during the war and the removed the original roof because it was to high for the close by airport. After 1945 the ministry of Dutch culture bought the very decayed castle and after major restorations the castle started a new life as congress centre. The original roof was not restored because of the now International airport of Brussels, which is close by. You can walk around the castle but it is only open during meetings and congresses. Castle Ham is situated in Steenokkerzeel. On the E19 take exit Vilvoorde/Cargo, follow the signs to Steenokkerzeel and you will see the castle on your left in the village center.