Seraing-le-Château Castle

Seraing-le-Château Castle, locally known as Château de Seraing-le-Château, lies in the village of the same name, in the province of Liège in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

The locality of Seraing-le-Château was first mentioned in a charter from 911. In 956, it was again mentioned in a donation made to the Abbey of Saint-Trond. The village gets its name from Seraing Castle, which has medieval origins. It was a seigniory dependent on the feudal court of Liège.

In the 14th century, the castle was owned by the Haneffe family, and, through marriage, was later transferred to the De La Marck family. By the 15th century, it belonged to the notorious William I de La Marck, known as the "Wild Boar of the Ardennes" for his bloody campaigns at the end of the 15th century. He often took refuge in Seraing Castle.

During the Eighty Years' War in 1568, the castle was besieged by the armies of Prince-Bishop Gerard de Groesbeeck in his fight against William II de La Marck, Lord of Lumey. William was a descendant of William I de La Marck and an admiral of the Sea Beggars.

The descendants of William II de La Marck maintained ownership of the castle until 1774, when it was passed to Charles d'Arenberg, whose family kept it until the French Revolution. In 1812, the castle was sold to the d'Oultremont de Warnant family. A large fire in 1869 destroyed the castle, which was then rebuilt with ideas inspired by medieval times.

In 1885, the de Laminne family inherited it, and in 1908, it was sold to the de Radzitzky d'Ostrowick family, who held it until 1953. It was then sold to a demolition company and partially dismantled. A Flemish priest bought it in 1960 and tried to restore it, but a new fire in 2003 destroyed the project.

The castle ruins were purchased in 2015 by a descendant of the Dutch branch of the De La Marck family, and they were restored by 2023.

Today, Seraing-le-Château Castle serves as a venue for wellness retreats and can only be visited as a guest of such retreats. I visited the castle before, in 2005, when it was still a ruin, and I think its restoration turned out beautifully.

Gallery

The castle in 2005