Reuland Castle

Reuland Castle, locally known as Burg Reuland, lies in the village of Burg-Reuland, in the province of Liège in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

The site of Reuland Castle was probably first used for a Roman fortification. Archaeological excavations showed that there already was a fortification at this site since the 10th century, the remains of the present castle were shown to date back to the 12th century.

Reuland Castle was first mentioned in 1128 or 1148 (depending on the source) as the seat of the Von Reuland family. Then it was sold to the Lords of Blankenheim.

In 1322 the Blankenheims sold it to John the Blind, King of Bohemia. In 1384 one of his successors, Wenceslaus IV, also Duke of Luxembourg, appointed an Edmund von Engelsdorf as treasurer of the Duchy of Luxembourg and presented Reuland Castle to him.

The castle went to the Van Pallandt family in 1444. After first fortifying the castle in the mid-15th century, they turned the fortification into a lordly residence during the 16th century. The Van Pallandt family and their heirs kept the castle until 1736 when they died out. After that Reuland Castle was cared for by a steward until it was finally destroyed by French troops in 1794.

In 1830 the ruined castle was sold for demolition and came into the hands of a local family, who later donated it to the local council. In 1923 the castle ruin was bought by the Belgian State to be used for air defense. Only since the 1980s the castle became a scheduled monument and was consolidated.

At present Reuland Castle can freely be visited during daytime. You can climb the keep and have a nice view over the ruin and the surrounding countryside. There is also a small castle shop. A very nice ruin in a quiet village.

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