We visited this castle in 2000.

Montaigle Castle, locally known as Château de Montaigle, lies north east of the village of Falaën in Belgium.

This is a great ruin which origins date back to the 11th century. The name Montaigle (meaning eagle rock) was only used after the 14th century, before that the castle was named Faing after a powerfull family in this region. It was built on a 160 m high rock.

From 1215 until the beginning of the 15th century the castle had various feudal lords and ladies as its owners who enlarged and strengthened the castle.

In 1431 and again in 1465 the castle withstood sieges from armies of the city of Dinant. From then on the castle was no longer a feudal home but became a garrisoned castle.

In 1554 the castle was destroyed by French troops invading the county of Namur. After that the castle fell into ruin and was used as a stone quarry by the local population.

In the 19th and 20th century interest in the castle was revived and the ruins were consolidated and restored several times. Also archeological excavations were carried out, showing that the castle site stood on Iron Age and Roman remains.

For more info, visit the castle's official website (in french) at:  Les Ruines de Montaigle

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