Château de Belœil

History

The Ligne family took control of Belœil in 1394, and by the early 1400s, the existing castle there became their main home. Originally, it was a fortified rectangle surrounded by a moat, with a round tower at each corner. That basic layout remains today, though the outer walls and rooms were heavily renovated over time. The stronghold was turned into a lavish country house, inspired by French designs, and filled with fine furniture and the family’s art collection. A major fire during the New Year’s festivities in 1900 destroyed the building completely. However, most of the contents—including 20,000 rare books and the art—were rescued. French architect Ernest Sanson led the reconstruction in the years that followed, and the rooms were refurnished with pieces from the Ligne collections. Work on the park began in 1664, featuring straight paths, geometric ponds, and long sightlines. The formal hedged garden chambers, known as bosquets, stayed intact even as English-style landscape gardens became trendy in the 1700s and 1800s. Charles Joseph, Prince de Ligne, added a small landscape garden with a decorative folly right next to the château.