Château de Hierges, Hierges, France

Château de Hierges is a partially ruined castle. The castle, originally called Château de Jerusalem (Castle of Jerusalem) was built on the site of a castrum whose origins date back to the 9th century, when the seigneurie of Hierges was part of the property of the house of Ardenne. At the time of the Crusades, the fortress of Hierges was given to the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and, in the 12th century, the castle was destroyed.

The castle was rebuilt in the 16th century, starting in 1560, with more comfort and openings for firearms. In the 18th century the former common and the dovecote were added. The castle was assaulted by revolutionaries in 1792 and destroyed by fire on 18 November 1793.

Of this Meuse-style Renaissance castle, there remain the curtain walls and three large round partially ruined towers, constructed in red brick and blue stone. The fourth covered tower, semi-circular in blue stone from Givet, is inhabited by the current owner.

On the towers, gun emplacements provided for mutual defence by cross fire. Some windows have cross mullions.

The exterior gardens have been restored to present the appearance they would have had during the Renaissance.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

L.D von Habsburg (2 years ago)
Beautiful Castle with renaissance features! Unfortunately permanently closed despite google saying it is open. Gorgeous to see from the outside!

Cédric Nève de Mévergnies (2 years ago)
The castle is not open to the public but it is very nice and surprisingly big.

M A R I S (5 years ago)
Castle was closed when i visited, however still beautifull.

Rosério Valente (5 years ago)
The castle ruins itself is not very interesting based on what I have seen from outside. According to the info at the gate the castle is private property and it is only open to public from Jun to September as for 2019. There are guided tours (one of them starting at 14:30 on Saturday ) for EUR 5. It is still possible to go uphill and see the castle gardens from outside if you find it closed. The plus of our visit was the small cosy village at the bottom of the hill and the walk through the forest that leads to the castle main gate and passes through a chapel.

Mel H (7 years ago)
The town of Hierges is a beautiful place to be. It looks like it walked away from a romantic novel with the lovely picturesque houses, the beautiful town square with the little pond and the remains of the old castle sticking out in the background. We had a lovely walk around the town, the church and the forest and we had a good look of the beautiful castle and its gardens. The whole area over there is so beautiful and it is just across the border from Belgium.

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