Rochefort Castle

Rochefort Castle - Château comtal de Rochefort, Rochefort, Namur Province, Walloon Region, Kingdom of Belgium.

The first recorded mention of the castle dates back to 1155, when it was called Rocha Fortis, meaning "fortified rock." This name gave its name to the present-day town of Rochefort. However, the castle may have existed as early as the 11th century.
With the castle came Rochefort, a walled town inhabited by its burghers.
In 1285, Thierry de Walcourt granted a charter of liberties to the town's inhabitants.
In the 16th century, Louis de Stolberg, Count of Rochefort, had the 13th-century wall demolished, a vast gun terrace built, cellars filled in, and gun ports added.
At the beginning of the 17th century, Jean-Théodore de Loewenstein and his wife, Josine de La Marck, developed a lavish court: hunting dogs, a stable of horses, falconry teams, liveried servants, evenings of poetry, and gargantuan feasts (the farmyard teemed with all sorts of animals).
A century later, the castle was transformed into a pleasure palace: the upper courtyard was enlarged by the construction of ten gigantic arcades.
In 1795, during the French Revolution, the castle was seized as a wartime property. It was confiscated and then sold. The new owners had no choice but to sell the furnishings and then the stones. Abandoned for over a century, the site has since been renovated.
Since 1987, the castle ruins have been open to the public. They remain a reminder of the rich past of the town of Rochefort. Classified as Walloon heritage, both as a site (November 25, 1971) and a monument (July 18, 1966), the site is now privately owned.