Hauteroche Castle Ruins

Viroinval, Belgium

Hauteroche ('High Rock') is a ruined 14th-century castle, destroyed after a siege in 1554, in the village of Dourbes in the municipality of Viroinval, province of Namur. It is situated on a ca. 50 meters high, rocky promontory, looking out over the valley of the Viroin river. The isolated site of the castle is separated from the plateau by a large, hand cut ditch. It has a square keep with 2.5 meter thick walls and it would originally have been at least 13 meters high.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 14th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Belgium

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Davy Kyndt (4 years ago)
Nice old ruin of a castle. Lots of ways takr you to the top. If you stand in front of the castle. You see 3 little paths. They are nice but slippery and very steep. Not recommended for little kids. On the left side just after the parking lot and the housed there is a hiking trail on your right. This path is recommended for kids. Maybe even a buggy can get there. The castle itself is not accessible without some climbing. Once you are there, the view is magnificent. You can also do some small rock climbing in the front side of the castle. However, you will not find any anchor points.
alex motteux (4 years ago)
really nice walk! just dont try to climb straight up, these are loose stones you may fall, slide or die. just take the normal walking route it's already quite steep
Mark S (5 years ago)
Ruins but stunning and surrounded by amazing views of the countryside.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Villa d'Este

The Villa d'Este is a 16th-century villa in Tivoli, near Rome, famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and especially for its profusion of fountains: the extraordinary system contains fifty-one fountains and nymphaeums, 398 spouts, 364 water jets, 64 waterfalls, and 220 basins, fed by 875 meters of canals, channels and cascades, and all working entirely by the force of gravity, without pumps. It is now an Italian state museum, and is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Tivoli had been a popular summer residence since ancient Roman times due to its altitude, cooler temperatures and its proximity to the Villa Hadriana, the summer residence of the Emperor Hadrian I.

The Villa was commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este (1509-1572), second son of Alfonso I d'Este, the Duke of Ferrara and grandson of Pope Alexander VI, along with Lucrezia Borgia.