Château de Laclaireau, Renaissance castle in Ethe, Belgium

The Château de Laclaireau is a three-storey stone building in Ethe, built of yellow-tan stone under a steep slate roof. A central entrance bay projects slightly and rises above the roofline, with a round-arched window and balcony; two dark conical topiary shrubs stand before the door. Two wings were added around 1877, giving the facade its present width.

The present château was built between 1852 and 1855 for Count Camille de Briey (1799-1877), a senator, finance and foreign affairs minister and later diplomat. It replaced a 1640 residence of the Lespine family, owners of the Laclaireau forge, which French troops burned on 16 April 1794 during the Revolution. Two wings were added around 1877.

The building blends Italian and French design styles, with eight windows of different shapes and decorated tops that give the facade its character. These details show how the owner wanted to mix influences from across Europe in his home.

The Fondation Demeures & Châteaux maintains the castle and displays three restored rooms on the first floor furnished with period pieces. Visitors can get a sense of how people lived here during the 1800s.

The name Laclaireau refers to springs of running water and to the ironworks that once operated on the estate; the Lespine family, lords of Laclaireau, owned the blast furnace and forge there. The château stands on that industrial site, not on an agricultural seigneurial domain.