The best traffic-free bike rides around Sprimont

The following information is taken from an information panel on site: Framed by an avenue of protected purple beech trees, the Château de Dieupart presents itself in a significantly altered form today. Nevertheless, it retains an impressive late 17th-century façade on its southwest side, constructed of sandstone and limestone rubble. Some original architectural elements are still recognizable, including tall, round-arched windows on the ground floor and characteristic relieving arches. The history of the site begins in the 15th century, when an ironworks with a blast furnace and forge developed here. In 1889, parts of these old facilities were converted into a power station. Later, the château was repurposed and transformed into a camping and caravanning center. On the heights above Dieupart, there once stood another château, the "Vieux-Jardin" (Old Garden). This medieval structure no longer exists; it was destroyed in 1286 by John I of Brabant. According to legend, some of the limestone blocks used in the Church of Saints-Anges in Dieupart came from this former fortress. Remnants of the structure can still be found in the woods above the southern slope of Dieupart. The Château de Dieupart has been a listed historical monument since December 11, 1986.

Durbuy is first mentioned in 1078 (as Dolbui) and in 1084 (under the current name). The first traces of habitation are found during excavations in the Anticlinaal cave by Count Pierre d'Ursel. The d'Ursel family still inhabits Durbuy Castle. Before the current castle, there were already others. Based on the archives of Luxembourg, a castle was destroyed and in the eleventh century, another was built by Henry II the Lame, who had received the domain from his mother Rageline, sister of Pope Stephen II, and her husband Albert II of Namur. Around 1156, that castle was severely damaged by flames and during the succession wars of the Duchy of Limburg, it was destroyed several more times. From 1412, Durbuy came into the hands of the House of Burgundy and at the end of the fifteenth century, the then-existing castle was destroyed by Maximilian of Austria, like all the castles of the la Marck family: besides Durbuy, these also include the castles of Logne and La Roche. In 1628, Baron Antoine Schetz of Grobendonck leased the Durbuy estate for 40,000 gold marks, a very considerable sum. Besides being a baron, he was also Count of Grobbendonk, Lord of Tilburg and Goirle, Pulle and Pulderbos, and Wezemaal. He was in the service of the Spanish and had led the defense of 's-Hertogenbosch during the Eighty Years' War. At the age of 71, he was also governor of the city of Leuven during the Siege of Leuven. And he was the first in a long line of the d'Ursel family who, to this day, inhabit the castle. In 1731, the castle was rebuilt by the then Duke of Ursel. Countess Auguste d'Ursel, who acquired the d'Ursel family's possessions in Durbuy, then modernized the castle from 1880 to 1882 with the help of architect Thirian from Namur. During the Second World War, the castle was occupied several times and in 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, it was used as a field hospital by the American liberators, with the billiard table serving as an operating table. Sources: historical overviews in Word documents on the website of Count Jean-Michel d'Ursel, current resident, at https://www.chateaudedurbuy.be/historique.html

video of the climb https://youtu.be/2SUZZ_bM3bg

Magnificent

awesome

Nice place for a coffee stop! The Château also has a campsite with Dutch owners, hence the fact that you will also find bitterballen on the menu of the chateau.

Worth it.

It remains special that people fought for our freedom