Reinhardstein Castle ( wa, Tchestea di Rénastène; french: Château de Reinhardstein; german: Burg Reinhardstein) is a castle of

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

in the village of

Ovifat Ovifat ( wa, Ôvîfa ) is a village of Wallonia in the municipality of Waimes, district of Robertville, located in the province of Liège, Belgium. The population is about 500. Its inhabitants are nicknamed ''Baras'' (ram Ram, ram, or RAM may ...

, in the

Warche The Warche is a river in eastern Belgium (province of Liège). From its source at Losheimergraben on the Belgian-German border, it flows roughly west about , across the south of the Hautes Fagnes region. It passes through the town of Malmedy, a ...

valley of

Liège Province Liège (; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is the easternmost province of the Wallonia region of Belgium. Liège Province is the only Belgian province that has borders with three countries. It borders (clockwise from the north) the Du ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The stronghold was built in 1354 for Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, while still Count, by his vassal Reinhard of Weismes. It sits on a rocky outcrop in the river valley and is now surrounded by forest. By inheritance and marriage, it passed successively into the hands of the Nesselrode, Nassau, Schwartzenberg families and finally from 1550 to 1812 the property of the Counts of Metternich, except between 1795 and 1798 when the French revolutionary administration confiscated it. Franz Georg Karl Count of Metternich-Winnenburg-Beilstein sold the family estate in 1812 to a building materials dealer. From 1815 to 1919 the area belonged to Prussia. The Prussian administration immediately halted the demolition and attempted for the first time to protect the monument. After the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...

(1919) it became Belgian territory. In the 19th century it was nearly destroyed by quarrying but in 1969 the castle was thoroughly renovated under the impulse of the new owner Professor Jean Overloop. After the reconstruction, he continued to live there until his death in 1994. His wife and daughter, who inherited the castle after his death, donated it to a non-profit organization. The castle is inhabited but accessible to tourists. There is also a picturesque walking route along the castle. Château de Reinhardstein original

Sources

Reinhardstein Castle official website
Castles in the Ardennes (Belgium) Castles in the Eifel Castles in Belgium Castles in Liège Province Waimes {{Belgium-castle-stub

See also

Sources