Falnuée Castle, Gembloux, Belgium

Falnuée Castle, locally known as Château-ferme de Falnuée, lies south of the village of Mazy, in the province of Namur. Falnuée Castle started out as just a square keep, serving as a watchtower, in the valley of the Orneau river. It was probably built around 1285 but only first mentioned in 1343. Then it was held in fief by Henri de Falnuée from the Count of Namur; William I. It protected Namur's border with the Duchy of Brabant, together with nearby Mielmont Castle and Villeret Tower.

In 1456 Jean, the bastard of William I, took over the fief by force. His descendants then held possession of it until the mid-17th century. From then on several families followed who owned or were ceded the castle, until the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century. The last Lord of Falnuée was a General-Major Albert-Eugene de Meldeman who died in 1814. From then on the castle became purely a farm.

In 1987 the castle farm was bought and turned into an 18-hole golf club. At present the buildings of the castle farm are all used by the golf club.

References:

castles.nl

Jan Hus Memorial

The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.

Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.

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