Braine-le-Château Castle

Braine-le-Château Castle, locally known as Château de Braine-le-Château (Kasteelbrakel in Dutch) or Château du Comte des Hornes, lies in the town of the same name, in the province of Walloon Brabant in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

Braine-le-Château Castle was built at the beginning of the 13th century by the Lords of Trazegnies. In 1434, Jacob van Abscoude sold the castle to Jan van Horne, whose family were Lords of Horne and one of the wealthiest families in the Low Countries. His descendant, Frans van Horne, rebuilt the west wing with its 2 imposing towers in 1615.

In 1670, Braine-le-Château Castle came into the possession of the Count von Thurn und Taxis through marriage. Around this time, the east wing of the castle was burned down by French troops of Louis XIV commanded by Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne, and was rebuilt in 1681.

In 1835, the Von Thurn und Taxis family sold the castle to Count Eugène Gaspard de Robiano, whose descendants still live there. After them the castle is sometimes also known as Château de Robiano.

Currently, Braine Castle is private property and cannot be visited.

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