Le Rœulx Castle, also known as the Château des Princes de Croÿ, is family seat of the Comtes de Croÿ-Rœulx. The origins of the castle date to a fortified structure from the 11th century. It was redeveloped in the 16th century by Adrien de Croÿ and most of the castle was destroyed in the middle of the same century. Views from the very beginning of the 17th century show a house made up of a main accommodation section and two towers that are radically different from the current castle, which is the result of conversion works carried out in the second half of the 18th century.
The building itself, which evokes a certain French-style classicism, mixes both sources of local inspiration (a mixture of brick and stone) and also the Germanic (tending towards the horizontal). The result is a U-shape consisting of a main wing and side wings enclosing a main courtyard. The junction between these wings and the façade is unusual as a result of the convex structures placed in the corner. The central section of the building, which has a frontage with balcony and dome in the centre of a symmetrical composition, houses a vestibule displaying some traces of the previous building, as well as a majestic and profusely decorated main staircase, as well as the stairwell lit by the skylight, with décor in Rocaille style. Finally, the remarkable main drawing room is exquisite testament to the decorative style of the 18th century.
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The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.