Steinbach Castle, Gouvy, Belgium

The foundations and the basement of the Steinbach castle date back to the 11th century and are built with schist stone. The stone carved escutcheon built into the façade of the castle contains three scallops referring to Steinbach and Limerlé, and three sickles referring to Grumelscheid.

The Steinbach family and dynasty became lords of Rouvroy and Limerlé in 1451 and will keep this title and rule the region until the late 18th century.

During the Second World War the castle played a significant role in the Battle of the Bulge. It was beside a temporary headquarter for Leon Degrelle and his government a field hospital for both the German and US army.

The castle stayed in the hands of descendants of the Steinbach family until 2014 when it was sold to its current owners who used it as a second residence.

Architecture

The castle has a very Austrian style architecture which can be explained by the fact that the castle was erected after a devastating fire in 1750 which burnt most of the existing castle to ruins. The architect was Albert Starck from Austria who during the Austrian reign of this part of Europe built several important buildings (today national monuments) in this area such as the rectory of Bovingy. The castle itself is built in 1.5-meter thick schist stone walls. The wings were added in the early 19th century and served as farmhouses. The farm was reachable from the outside leaving all privacy to the castle. The interior floors are built in schist stone and the style is Louis XV. The main entrance to the castle is carved out of Recht stone and contains the escutcheon of the Beurthé. The farms also contain a wood oven dating back to the 16th century. The oven is still in regular use today. On the top of the tower, one can see elephant shaped flags bearing the family escutcheons and building date. All buildings on this site are protected as national monuments.

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.

Frédéric Gilson (4 years ago)
Gouvy Cultural Center. It includes, among other things, the public digital space, the library and other services.

Koen Stynen (5 years ago)
Urgent restoration ...

Melanie H. (5 years ago)
Very nice garden, it is small and fine. When you are there you should read the story of the house on the net. It now belongs to the municipality of Gouvy after a long period of private ownership and functions as a community center

Albert Dalcq (6 years ago)
Beautiful place of culture, a beautiful park raised to magnify a wedding or an important event. A lot of organized activities, including a Repair Café on the last Sunday morning of the month.

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