Franchimont Castle

Theux, Belgium

Franchimont Castle sits at the western end of a small hill overlooking the village of Franchimont. It is thought to have originally been built in the 11th century, as a stronghold of the Principality of Liège. The original building was extended several times during the Middle Ages, once after a fire in 1387.

In 1487 the castle was besieged, and around the same period the La Marck family took ownership of it. In the early 16th century the outer wall was built, with casemates and an artillery tower added.

Today the castle is owned by the town of Theux and is open to the public. The artillery tower at the north-east corner contains a small exhibition and the ticket office.

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Address

Allée du Château, Theux, Belgium
See all sites in Theux

Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Belgium

More Information

www.chateau-franchimont.be
en.wikipedia.org
www.castles.nl

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Centre Charlemagne (33,1 km)
Aachen City Hall (33,1 km)
Aachen Cathedral (33 km)
Basilica of Saint Servatius (37 km)
St. John's Church (36,9 km)
St. Michael's Church (32,9 km)
Maastricht Town Hall (37,2 km)
Liège Cathedral (21,8 km)
St. Servatius Bridge (36,9 km)

User Reviews

Niels Post (2 years ago)
Was closed. But parking next to it, so perfect.
Michelle Villaça (2 years ago)
Stunning medieval castle in Belgium. Built around the XII century, one of the most charming things I've ever seen. I really felt good about this place. Unfortunetly, it was closed when I went, so I coundn't come inside. It's ok, though. It's beautiful outside too.
Stephen Newey (3 years ago)
Unfortunately the Chateau itself is closed between November and March. However we visited in December, and it was still worth coming and seeing. There are some nice views across the Belgian landscape on offer. Plenty of free parking, and I’m sure it is more alive when the Chateau is open.
Gabriel Mirica (3 years ago)
I visited in autumn... nice place. I suppose during the summer is more animated and more interesting
Ryan Groenewold (3 years ago)
An amazing and also long audio tour about the history of this castle. Little details are perfectly discribed in different languages. The views from within the castle are also amazing.
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Glimmingehus

Glimmingehus is the best preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. It was built 1499-1506, during an era when Scania formed a vital part of Denmark, and contains many defensive arrangements of the era, such as parapets, false doors and dead-end corridors, 'murder-holes' for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other forms of death traps to surprise trespassers and protect the nobles against peasant uprisings. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 2.4 meters (94 inches) thick and the upper part 1.8 meters (71 inches).

Construction was started in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand and stone-cutter-mason and architect Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1506.

Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

On site there is a museum, medieval kitchen, shop and restaurant and coffee house. During summer time there are several guided tours daily. In local folklore, the castle is described as haunted by multiple ghosts and the tradition of storytelling inspired by the castle is continued in the summer events at the castle called "Strange stories and terrifying tales".

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