Solre-sur-Sambre Castle

Solre-sur-Sambre Castle, locally known as Château de Solre-sur-Sambre, lies in the village of the same name, in the province of Hainaut in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

Solre-sur-Sambre Castle was built in the late 13th century by the Lords of Barbençon, near an enclave of the Principality of Liège, at the conjunction of the Sambre and Thure rivers. Originally, it was a simple, massive rectangular keep. Later, in the 14th or 15th century, this keep was incorporated into a square castle with circular towers at each corner. The keep was transformed into a gate tower.

Around 1480, the castle was purchased by the family of Jean Carondelet Mortagne, the Lord Chancellor of Archduke Maximilian of Austria. It stayed in the Carondelet family from 1480 until 1628, after which it was passed to the De Merode family through marriage. In 1843, the castle was transferred to the Wignacourt family, again through marriage.

In 1989, Prince Alexandre de Merode bought Solre-sur-Sambre back from the Wignacourt family, and his descendants continue to reside in the castle.

Today, Solre-sur-Sambre Castle is private property and not open to the public. However, it can be easily viewed from the public road and a walking path next to the castle. It is a beautiful castle.

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