Raeren Castle

Raeren Castle, locally known as Burg Raeren, lies in the town of the same name, just a couple of hundred meters from Raeren Tower, in the Liège province in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

In the beginning, Raeren Castle formed a single fief with Raeren Tower, which was the main seat of the fief. Later, Raeren Castle separated to become a neighboring fief.

The exact date and builder of Raeren Castle are unknown. It was first mentioned in 1474 when it was owned by Jean d'Alensberg, who also built Alensberg Castle. At that time, it was probably a tower house similar to Raeren Tower.

In the early 16th century, the castle was owned by the Krummel de Nechtersheim family. Through marriage, it passed to the De Lomont family. In 1583, a Philippe de Lomont owned it. He substantially rebuilt and enlarged the castle; a new residential wing was added against the old tower house, along with several towers, a ring wall, farm buildings, and a gate.

Over the following centuries, various other owners held the castle until 1790, when the Schwartzenberg family, who also owned Raeren Tower, bought it. However, in 1791, the castle came into the possession of the De Nuys-Von der Gracht family. They owned the castle until the early 20th century.

Today, Raeren Castle is a museum and thus open to the public. It’s a very nice castle.

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