Château de Modave, castle in Wallonia
The Château de Modave is a large stately home set high on a rocky hill overlooking the Hoyoux river valley. The structure retains old stone walls and is anchored by a restored terrace offering clear views across the surrounding nature reserve covering about 450 hectares. Inside are more than 25 rooms decorated with furnishings from the 17th to 19th centuries, featuring ornate stucco ceilings, carved wood paneling, tapestries, large paintings, and antique furniture from different periods that create a sense of journeying through time.
The castle's origins trace back to the Middle Ages, but it was substantially rebuilt in the 17th century by the Marchin family, acquiring a classical facade in the process. The Count of Marchin spent his entire fortune on this restoration, making the castle an important symbol of French classical architecture that was even compared to Versailles.
The name Modave comes from the Latin "Modava", reflecting the region's Roman past. The castle was home to noble families who used it as a center of their power, and visitors today can see traces of their lives in the rooms, from the ornate ceilings to the valuable furniture passed down through generations.
The castle opens daily from April through mid-November, from morning until late afternoon with last entry around 4:45 p.m., and closes Mondays except during July, August, or public holidays. Visitors can purchase tickets on-site or online at affordable prices with discounts available for seniors, students, children, and groups, while the ground floor is wheelchair accessible, assistance dogs are permitted, and nearby parking and bus stops serve the location.
The castle holds a 17th-century water wheel designed by Renkin Sualem that served as the model for the famous Versailles machine lifting water from the Seine. More remarkable still, the castle sits above an underground spring producing roughly 60000 cubic meters of water daily, transported to Brussels since the 17th century through a gravity-fed canal that operates entirely without modern motors.
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