Aische-en-Refail Castle

Aische-en-Refail Castle, locally known as Château d'Aische-en-Refail, lies in the village with the same name, in the province of Namur in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

The castle was built in the 12th century in the village of Aische on the lands of the Refayt family, near Walhain Castle.

In 1462, the Vaulx de Refayt family became one of the most influential families in the County of Namur by uniting their castle at Aische and various estates to form the seigniory of Aische.

Owned by the Du Bois family since 1647, the castle was expanded between 1760 and 1780 by Simon de Neuf, husband of Philippine du Bois, who added 2 wings, raised the tower, widened the moats, and built a new bridge. The bailey, used as a castle farm, dates back to the beginning of the Spanish period at the end of the 16th century.

From 1830 onward, the castle was no longer permanently inhabited, and it stopped being occupied after 1865.

During World War I, the castle was severely damaged. First, when it was occupied by French refugees, who used doors and paneling for heating. Later, it was used to house Russian prisoners for a few days. After the Armistice of November 11, 1918, Canadian soldiers were quartered in the dilapidated castle for several weeks.

After the war, the new owners salvaged and reused many of the castle's beams and stones to improve the farm or resold them.

When I visited, the castle was a ruin and used as storage for an antiques shop. The bailey was privately occupied. Today, however, the antique shop has closed. The castle ruin has been restored and now operates as a bed and breakfast, so I plan to revisit for new pictures. It’s a lovely castle in a peaceful rural village.

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