Walhain Castle

Walhain Castle, locally known as Château de Walhain, lies in the center of the village of Walhain, in the province of Walloon Brabant in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

Walhain Castle was built at the end of the 12th century. The duke of the old Duchy of Brabant; Henry I, ordered its construction on his borders to face the territorial claims of the County of Namur. The duke installed the family of Walhain at the castle. This was a family of small local lords.

The castle stayed property of the Walhain family until the death of Arnould V in 1304. The following period, from 1304 till 1430 the castle was owned by several lords who didn't care for its upkeep.

This slow decline of the castle was stopped by Antoine de Glimes who bought the castle in 1430. This started a golden period for the castle. This period had its apogee in 1532 when the castle was the center of a powerful seigniory. After that the glory didn't last although the county survived until the French Revolution.

After the death of Jean IV de Berghes in 1567 the castle fell into disrepair, suffering from the disinterest of its successive owners; in spite of some specific restorations.

There have been several archaeological excavations in the last few years by students from Belgian and American universities.

At present the castle is a charming ruin. There's a keep still standing to considerable height and parts of walls and other towers. There are also traces of walls and ditches on the bailey. The castle ruins are not freely accessible.

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