Castle of Belœil

The Château de Belœil is situated in the municipality of Belœil in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Since the fourteenth century it has been the residence of the Prince de Ligne. The castle lies in the middle of a magnificent baroque garden designed in 1664. Castle and gardens can be visited during spring and summer.

History

Belœil came into the possession of the Ligne family in 1394. At the beginning of the 15th century the local castle was chosen as the principal residence of the family. The old castle was a fortified rectangular building with a moat surrounding it and had four round towers at each angle. This basic structure is still preserved, although the facades and interiors were greatly altered during the following centuries.

In the 17th and 18th centuries the fortified castle was adapted into a luxurious country house following the French example.From 1664 onward the magnificent park, with its straight alleys, geometrical ponds and imposing perspectives was created. The typical 'bosquets' - garden chambers enclosed by high hedges - were preserved in spite of the changing fashion in the 18th and 19th centuries when English landscape gardens were preferred. A small landscape garden with a 'ruin' was laid-out in the direct vicinity of the château by the famous Charles Joseph, Prince de Ligne.

The interiors were luxuriously furnished with fine furniture and the art collections of the family. During the New Year's celebrations of 1900 disaster struck the château when it burned down completely. Most of the furniture, including the library of 20,000 rare volumes, and the art collection, were saved. The castle was rebuilt in the following years by the French architect Ernest Sanson, while the interiors were sumptuously redecorated using the finest pieces from the Ligne collection.

External links

[http://www.chateaudebeloeil.com/welcome/view?set_language=en| www.chateaudebeloeil.com] Official website