Neuville Castle

Neuville Castle, locally known as Château de Neuville, is situated between the villages of Neuville-en-Condroz en Neupré, in the province of Liège in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

Neuville Castle was built in the 13th century on the original site of the village of Neuville-en-Condroz. The three circular corner towers date back to the 15th century. Originally, the castle was equipped with a drawbridge and had a keep.

During the first five centuries, the castle was owned by the Dammartin, Marteau, and Warnant families. In 1724, Neuville Castle passed to the De Lannoy family through marriage, and they owned it for the next 130 years. They transformed the medieval fortress into a comfortable manor, installing large windows on the facades, decorating the interior with wood paneling and stucco in the Louis XVI style. They also laid out a formal French garden and built a new U-shaped moated farm next to the castle.

In the 19th century, Neuville Castle was owned by Adrien de Lannoy. When he died in 1854 without heirs, the castle passed to his wife, Marie-Amélie de Tornaco.

In 1914, the German army occupied the castle because they suspected the Baron de Tornaco of communicating with the forts of Flémalle and Boncelle. They ransacked the castle, destroying furniture or throwing it into the moat, burning books, and transporting collections of crystal and porcelain to Germany. In 1918, Canadian soldiers occupied the castle, which further deteriorated it.

In 1940, Neuville Castle was again occupied by German troops. In 1943, the last Baron de Tornaco died here, and the castle was sold. In October 1944, U.S. troops moved into the castle. In December of that year, two German V-1 flying bombs aimed at the castle exploded in the moat, badly damaging it.

Later, the castle was stripped of all valuable materials by various occupants and abandoned. From 1962 to the 1990s, the castle was used as a restaurant and the farm as an equestrian center.

Currently, Neuville Castle is private property and is occupied by a company, so it cannot be visited. Too bad.

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