- Type
- Castle
- Built
- 13th century
- Coordinates
- 50.3222°, 5.0078°
History
It began, around the 13th century, as a simple square defensive tower in the Bocq valley guarding the old Roman road from Dinant to Huy. Late in the 13th century William, known as 'the Ardennais', turned it into a three-storey fortified house with thicker walls; in the 14th century it took the form of a conventional castle, and in the 15th two turrets and a drawbridge were added. Standing on the border between the County of Namur and the prince-bishopric of Liège, it was attacked by forces from Liège, Dinant, Burgundy and France but never taken. From the late 16th century, once its defences had become obsolete, it was converted into a residence: windows were cut, it was raised in brick and given conical roofs, a fortified farm was built beyond the moat in 1622, and in the 19th century the southern part was redecorated in Gothic Revival style to designs by Jean-Baptiste Bethune and Auguste Van Assche. The castle has been a protected monument since 1950; in 2004 its owner Robert Vermeersch, the last to open it to visitors, was murdered there.
What to see
The castle is privately owned and, according to available sources, closed to visitors, and its condition has caused concern because of neglect. Seen from outside, it sits where the Bocq curves, its water running round the moat in small cascades: massive walls, slate-roofed towers, the drawbridge and the fortified farm of 1622 across the moat. The interiors, with Gothic fireplaces, Louis XIII panelling and a courtyard with a wrought-iron well frame, are not accessible.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q2043012
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