Château du Moisnil, Heritage castle in Maizeret, Belgium.
Château du Moisnil is a castle in Andenne featuring a preserved wing constructed in 1902 by architect Octave Flanneau in Louis XV style. The structure displays symmetrical proportions and classical French architectural elements.
The Moisnil fief, recorded in 1314 with a tower and a house, was sold in 1645 for 22,000 guilders and again in 1677 for 2,440 guilders, by then in ruins. Vincent de la Boverie rebuilt it as a pleasure home, and the de Baré family acquired the lands in 1753. The surviving wing was added in 1902 by architect Octave Flanneau for Jules van Dievoet. On 12 May 1940 Luftwaffe bombing destroyed the oldest parts, leaving only cellars under gravel.
The name Moisnil is said to mean "hamlet of the mill". Tradition links the old castle to the fabulist Jean de La Fontaine, who is said to have stayed in 1692 with a distant cousin, Henri de La Fontaine, and written "Les Animaux malades de la peste" there; the stone bench he admired the Mosan landscape from is said to survive. French sources call the tale unfounded, as he was ill and in disgrace at the time.
The castle remains private property of Count Didier d'Ursel and is not open to the public. Visitors can only view the building from the surrounding streets and grounds outside.
The cellars of the pre-1902 château survive beneath a layer of gravel, the only trace of the older building destroyed by the Luftwaffe on 12 May 1940. The 1902 wing by Octave Flanneau, built for Jules van Dievoet, is what stands today.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,976 contributors worldwide.