Jehay Castle

Jehay Castle, locally known as Château de Jehay, lies north of the town of Amay, in the province of Liège in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

Jehay Castle is located in a marshy area, whose strategic importance was already recognized by the Celts, who were the first to build here. The Celtic structure was later transformed into a Roman castrum. This castrum was again turned into a Carolingian stronghold. The exact date when the first real castle was built on this site is unknown.

During the 12th and 13th centuries, several noble families owned the castle. In the early 14th century, during the war between the Awans and Waroux families, Jehay Castle was owned by Arnould de Jehain.

In the first quarter of the 15th century, Jehay Castle was owned by Wathieu Datin. After he rebelled against the Principality of Liège in 1428, he was banished, and the castle was confiscated. The estate then passed to Gérard Gossuin de Beyne, Mayor of Liège in 1456, whose daughter, Agnes, was married to Quentin de Towin. In 1473, Quentin sold the property to his brother William.

In 1483, the castle came into the hands of the De Sart family through marriage. At the end of the 15th century, during the war between Jean de Hornes, Prince-Bishop of Liège, and the De la Marck family, the castle was repeatedly damaged.

Around 1550, a member of the De Sart family rebuilt Jehay Castle. In 1567, the castle passed to the De Mérode family through marriage, and they owned it for nearly 150 years, during which many building projects took place.

In 1720, Lambert Amand van den Steen, Lord of Saive in Hesbaye and private advisor to the Prince-Bishop of Liège, purchased the castle from the Count de Mérode. Lambert's descendants, who called themselves Van den Steen de Jehay, carried out several building campaigns. The last family member, Count Guy van den Steen Jehay, sold the castle—while retaining the usufruct—to the province of Liège in 1978. When the Count died in 1999, the province became the full owner of the castle.

Today, Jehay Castle functions as a national museum and can be visited for a fee. Photography inside the castle is prohibited. It's a very beautiful castle, although the exterior is more interesting than the interior.

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