Rochefort Count's Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Rochefort Count's Castle overlooks the Walloon town of Rochefort (Namur province) from a limestone promontory set in a meander of the Lomme, at an elevation of roughly 230 m; a cliff, formed by differential erosion between limestone and schist, borders its northern side. The fortress, originally called "rocha fortis", from which the town takes its name, was one of the largest castles in Famenne and withstood several sieges. Built by the Montaigu family, the first lords of the site, it passed to the Walcourt family and then to the La Marck family, before being remodelled from 1544 onwards by Louis de Stolberg, who had the medieval walls pulled down. Confiscated and sold in 1795, the castle was abandoned and served as a quarry for local residents. Listed as a monument in 1966 and as a site in 1971, it has been open to the public since 1987. Its remains, towers, curtain walls and terraces, now form a site of history and archaeology with a viewing table, an archaeological museum and an active excavation site; guided tours are offered in season.