Beusdael Castle

Beusdael Castle, locally known as Kasteel Beusdael, is situated west of the village of Sippenaeken, in the province of Liège in the Wallonia region in Belgium, just a short distance south of the Dutch border. The castle is also known as Beusdal or Beusdaal Castle.

The first Lords of Beusdael appeared in the 14th century. This Van Beusdaal family seems to have been powerful lords, as they could elevate properties to fiefs, evidenced by their control over the Dutch castles of Geusselt and Goedenraad. Several marriages and inheritances led to the property passing from the Van Beusdaal family to the families of Van Eys, De Colyn, De Hoensbroeck, De Méan, and De Copis, until the 19th century. Later, it was owned by Count Florent d'Oultremont.

Starting in 1882, he ordered major renovations to the castle, including building a chapel, a small round tower in the courtyard, and a gatehouse with a new bridge. These projects were carried out by Brussels architect Janlet. When the count died, the castle was sold in 1921 to Wilhelm Huyzer. He did something macabre; he had his young, deceased wife embalmed and laid out in a coffin with a glass lid in a cellar, beneath a hallway next to the chapel. The coffin remained there until 1934.

The castle changed hands several more times until it was bought by the Antoine family in 1976.

According to legend, the keep of Beusdael Castle dates back to the times of Charlemagne. A more likely construction date is somewhere in the 13th century. Its walls are up to 2 meters thick. There are 4 small corner turrets at the top; one was used as a prison (shackles and chains were still present in 1930), and another contains a spiral staircase. The other square tower and the residential wing were built in the 16th and 17th centuries. The castle's interior suffered significant damage from military occupation between 1940 and 1945.

Since the castle is private property and inhabited, it is not open to the public.

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