Sombreffe Castle, Sombreffe, Belgium

Sombreffe Castle was built in the early the 13th century as a simple keep pertaining to the Lords of Orbais. It was a border fortress of the duchy of Brabant. Later in the 13th century the Lords of Orbais surrounded the keep with a circular curtain wall. This wall was equipped with several towers, a gate and a secondary keep.

In 1446 the castle passed to the Vernembourg family by marriage. They kept the castle until 1543. Several other families passed as owners of Sombreffe Castle; Culembourg, Lalaing, Ligne, Oignies and finally the Lannoy family.

At the end of the 16th century the upper part of the primary keep, where the residence of the Lord was situated, was destroyed by fire. In the beginning of the 17th century this part was rebuilt with the use of bricks.

In the 18th century a new residence for the Lord was built beside the primary keep. In the 19th century the castle was used for agricultural purposes. A doctor Geerts bought Sombreffe Castle in 1982 and restored it.

Today the castle is used for parties, marriages and as a restaurant. But when I visited it seemed that it hadn't been used for these purposes for some time now. Nevertheless a very nice castle.

References:

castles.nl

User Reviews

Adrien P (3 years ago)
Very nice castle near the fields, quite different architecture from other castles in the region!

Kelly Achten (4 years ago)
This castle is privately owned and is used as a party location. We drove past it briefly and were certainly impressed. Too bad it can't be visited. 'The castle of Sombreffe (French: Château de Sombreffe) is a medieval castle located in Sombreffe in the province of Namur. Its origins date back to the thirteenth century. The castle is classified in the category of Most Important Heritage of Wallonia.'

La Belgique insolite (5 years ago)
Very beautiful castle from the outside! I did not visit the inside but it is very well preserved and well located outside the city of Sombreffe.

Briz (6 years ago)
Seems good!

Maciej Thrun (6 years ago)
Very good

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Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

Sombreffe Castle

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