Havré Castle

Mons, Belgium

Havré Castle is a ruined water castle in the village of Havré in the town of Mons. The origins of the castle can be only traced back to the year 1226, even the counts of Flanders and Hainaut have had control over Havré since the 11th century. In 1255 Ida of Mons was married to Engelbert d'Enghien. Their descendants keep Havré Castle to the year 1423. Then Gérard d'Enghien passes the Castle on to Christophe d'Harcourt. Through marriage, the castle came into the possession of the families Dunan, Longeville and Croy.

In 1518 Philip II de Croÿ commander of Emperor Charles V, became the owner of the castle. By 1537 he was in charge of County of Hainault as grand baliff and governor. Phillipe married on 9 August 1548 Anna of Lorraine as his second wife, a daughter of the Duke Anton II of Lorraine. He died before the birth of his son Charles-Philippe. Wounded by a musket Charles-Philippe was treated by Ambroise Paré at Castle Havré, who was the first surgeon to French King Charles IX and a prominent surgeon of his time.

In 1578, the castle underwent its roughest period with siege by the armies of Don Juan de Austria and the Duke of Anjou. The castle was kept without much damage. Unfortunately, in 1579 a fire was fierce and devastating burning the castle to the walls.

During the seventeenth century it is Charles Alexander, Duke of Croy, who would restore the castle and make it one of the most magnificent castles of pleasure in Belgium, where many royals and famous artists of the time liked to stay.

Shortly after the French invasion of 1792, it was quickly sold as national property. Despite its acquisition in 1807 by the family of Croy, the castle was gradually abandoned.

Finally at the beginning of the twentieth century what was left, the castle due to negligence from 1930 transformed into ruins.

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Address

Rue du Château 30, Mons, Belgium
See all sites in Mons

Details

Founded: 1226
Category: Castles and fortifications in Belgium

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.1/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Joshua (52 days ago)
Excellent place to visit and walk around. Good signs with information of the history
Monroe Timberlake (2 months ago)
It's really cute. Beautiful field around the castle and a little playground. I wish we could have gone inside but you have to have a tour guide. It wasn't crowded at all which was nice.
Jetlover X (10 months ago)
Beautiful!! Loved it. The castle reflected in the small lake and with the sun it simply looked amazing. Recommended for some nice pictures.
Chelsea Marie (14 months ago)
Beautiful ruins being restored! We went for the educational children’s day and it was wonderful! We did the scavenger hunt, took a tour, had drinks, saw the birds of prey demonstration and then walked the gardens before leaving. The kids and I had a blast!
That Guy (2 years ago)
It is a different castle for sure but there isnt much more than walking around it and leaving. There is animal droppings everywhere so watch your step. For a quick picture its cool, but we spent a total of ten minutes here and moved on.
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