Fagnolles Castle

Fagnolles Castle, locally known as Château de Fagnolle(s), lies in a field just north of the village of Fagnolle, in the province of Namur in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

The castle dates back to the late 12th century and was built by the Counts of Hainaut. It was renovated in the 14th century and modernized in the 15th century by Gérard d'Enghien and Marie de Fagnolle. Since 1485, it has been situated on the borders of the principality of Liège.

The castle belonged to several families until 1554, when it was taken by the French during the war between King Henri II of France and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. In 1555, it was taken back by William 'the Silent', Prince of Orange, who partially dismantled it.

At the start of the 17th century, it came into the possession of the Princes de Ligne. They abandoned it in 1659 but kept ownership until 1920.

Fagnolles Castle was designed as a square fortress with four tall towers at each corner.  It sits in a muddy meadow bordered by a brook that once fed the moat surrounding it. In front of the former drawbridge, there was a barbican, now in ruins. The castle and its outer ward were enclosed by a second defensive wall, of which remnants are still visible today.

In the late 20th century, the castle ruins were horribly restored, with extensive concrete work in some places. In 2016, the King Baudouin Foundation acquired the site with plans to preserve and open it to the public.

The first time I visited this castle was in 2004. I read online that it could be visited, but when I arrived, I found all tourist activities had halted years earlier. The castle was closed and in a sad state, supported by steel beams holding up several walls to prevent collapse. When I revisited in 2021 to take drone photos, it was still closed, and nothing had changed except the ugly concrete, which was now crumbling.

Today, Fagnolles Castle remains closed to the public. However, nearby, you can visit the ruins of Haute Roche Castle, which are quite nice.

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