Binche Castle

Binche Castle, locally known as Palais de Marie de Hongrie, which translates to Palace of Mary of Hungary, lies in the southern corner of the walled old town of Binche, in the province of Hainaut in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

The first castle here was built in the 12th century under the orders of Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut.

During the 15th century, the castle was known as Château de la Salles, and in 1461, it was restored under the direction of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. Margaret of York, widow of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, received Binche as a dowry. Around 1500, she expanded the Château de la Salles. In 1528, Mary of Hungary became Governess of the Netherlands. She often stayed in Binche, which soon became one of her favorite residences. In return for her loyalty, Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, granted his sister lifetime usufruct of the imperial estate of Binche. She decided to demolish the castle and build a Renaissance-style palace in its place. Construction was entrusted to architect Jacques Du Broeucq in 1545.

Mary supported her brother in the fight against King Henri II of France. In 1552, she burned down Henri II's favorite property, Folembray Castle. Two years later, Henri II responded by ordering the burning of her palace in Binche. Only part of the palace was saved from destruction. Restoration work began but was halted in 1556 when Mary left the Netherlands for good and moved to Spain.

The castle remained unoccupied until 1600. Then Albert VII, Archduke of Austria, and his wife moved into one of the wings of Mary of Hungary's palace. They carried out maintenance work and stayed there until their own castle was built in Mariemont. Later, in the 17th century, the castle fell into ruin.

In 1704, the deteriorating ruins were demolished. In the 19th century, a public park was established on the site. In the 20th century, large parts of the castle were excavated.

Today, the ruins of Binche Castle are part of a public park. While the ruins themselves cannot be visited, they can be easily seen within the park. The park is open during the day. These ruins are an interesting site with plenty to explore.

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