Château de Belœil

The Château de Belœil is a château situated in the municipality of Belœil in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Since the 14th century it has been the residence of the Prince de Ligne. The château lies in the middle of a magnificent Baroque garden designed in 1664. The château and gardens can be visited during spring and summer.

Early years
Belœil became possession of the Ligne family in 1394. At the beginning of the 15th century the local castle was chosen as the principal residence of the family. The old castle was a fortified rectangular building with a moat surrounding it and had four round towers, one at each angle. This basic structure is still preserved, although the facades and interiors were greatly altered during the following centuries.

17th century
From 1664 onward the park, with its straight alleys, geometrical ponds and imposing perspectives was created. The typical "bosquets" - garden chambers enclosed by high hedges - were preserved in spite of the changing fashion in the 18th and 19th centuries when English landscape gardens were preferred. A small landscape garden with a "ruin" was installed in the direct vicinity of the château by Charles Joseph, Prince de Ligne.

18th century
The fortified castle was adapted into a luxurious country house (château) following the French example. The interiors were appointed with fine furniture and the art collections of the family. During the New Year's celebrations of 1900, disaster struck the castle when it burned down completely. Most of the furnishings, including the library of 20,000 rare volumes and the art collection, were saved. The castle was rebuilt in the following years by the French architect Ernest Sanson, while the interiors were redecorated using pieces from the Ligne collection.