Château du Stuyvenberg, Brussels, Belgium

Stuyvenberg Castle is a residency of the Belgian Royal Family, located in Laeken, Brussels. It was built in 1725, acquired for 200,000 franks by the Belgian State in 1840, and later bought by Leopold II who donated it to the Royal Trust. It is near the Royal Palace of Laeken, the official residence of the King and Queen of the Belgians.

The first Belgian King Leopold I used the castle for his mistress Arcadie Meyer-Claret, and their second child Arthur was born there in 1852. Later, it was the birthplace of King Baudouin in 1930 and Albert II in 1934; both spent their early years at Stuyvenberg. After World War II Elisabeth of Bavaria, widow of King Albert I, lived at the castle until her death in 1965. Subsequently it was used for almost three decades as a guest house for foreign dignitaries. From 1998 to 2014 Queen Fabiola, widow of King Baudouin, called it her home. She died at Stuyvenberg on December 5, 2014.

The residence has also been home to Princess Astrid of Belgium, the sister of the current King Philippe.

References:

Wikipedia

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.

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