Freÿr Castle
| Freÿr Castle | ||
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| place | Hastière municipality | |
| Architectural style | Renaissance , plastered construction | |
| Construction year | before the 16th century constant additions and renovations |
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| Coordinates | 50 ° 13 '35 " N , 4 ° 53' 19.9" E | |
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The Castle Freÿr is a magnificent building on the left, the west bank of the Maas in the area of the Belgian municipality of Hastière in the province of Namur in the Walloon Region . Today's building complex was built on foundation walls that date back to the 14th century.
On the opposite side of the river the rocks of Freÿr rise .
History and architecture
An existing from the 14th century, a ford backed by the Meuse medieval castle was in 1554 by troops of Henry II. In the war against Charles V destroyed. A country house was built in its place in 1571 during the Renaissance period .
In 1378, the Count of Namur enfeoffed Jean de Rochefort-Orjol with Freÿr Castle. In 1410 it came to the de Beaufort-Spontin family through the marriage of the heiress Marie de Rochefort to Jacques de Beaufort .
The oldest surviving part of the building is the east wing from 1571. In 1637 the complex was expanded into a four-winged building with an inner courtyard. Two gardens were created along the banks of the Meuse. In the 18th century, it was converted into a ducal residence, using the design of Versailles Palace as a model. The south wing was demolished and its portal from 1637 integrated into the newly built large vestibule. The castle served as the summer residence of the Dukes of Beaufort-Spontin.
In October 1675, the ambassadors Louis XIV and Charles II of Spain met in the castle to sign a customs and trade agreement for goods transported on the Maas and Sambre rivers . On this occasion, coffee was served for the first time in this region , which had previously become fashionable at the court in Versailles. In 1675, Louis XIV also lived in the castle during the siege of Dinant .
Instead of the former south wing, the owners had two pavilions covered with a mansard roof built in 1769 ; in the following year, in 1770, the inner courtyard was repaved. Since then he has been showing a compass rose . In the 18th century, Wilhelm von Beaufort-Spontin had a chapel built in the castle with the permission of Bishop Berlo of Namur . The regular trip to the parish church in Onhaye , five kilometers away, should be avoided. Some of the windows in the chapel come from Waulsort Abbey and were built there in the 16th century. In 1785 the Archduchess Maria-Christina of Austria and her husband Albert Kasimir von Sachsen-Teschen were guests at the castle. Friedrich, 1st Duke of Beaufort-Spontin (1751–1817), inherited the palace complex in 1817 to his daughter Gilda (1813–1880), married Mouchet de Battefort, Comtesse de Laubespin, whose descendants, the Barons Bonaert, have owned it ever since.
During the First World War , fighting between German and French troops took place in the vicinity of the castle. On August 23, 1914, German troops crossed the Meuse from the east near the castle in the morning hours. The French troops on site withdrew to the west after fighting. German pioneers erected a makeshift bridge near the castle, which was completed during the night around midnight. German troops then occupied the castle building. An operating room was set up in the Duke's reception room, with the billiard table serving as an operating table.
The facility was restored at the end of the 1960s / beginning of the 1970s. In February 1995, a flood of the Meuse devastated the palace complex, and water penetrated the interior. Since the course of the Meuse was straightened in 1876, floods that also reach the castle have become more frequent.
The castle continues to be used for residential purposes, although it is also open to the public for inspection.
Equipment of the main building and exhibits
- lobby
In the large vestibule there are Italian frescoes on the ceiling . They were painted over in 1794 as a result of the French Revolution. When the lime began to loosen at the end of the 19th century, the restorers discovered it and had the pictures renewed by monks from Beuron . A fire in 1995 blackened the paintings, which Polish artists were hired to clean . The coat of arms of the Beaufort-Spontin family, as used between 1505 and 1755, can also be found in this hall. Further pictures in the vestibule show various hunting scenes.
- coach
Visitors are shown the children's carriage made by the coachbuilder Simon from Brussels for the three children of the first Duke of Beaufort. The carriage exhibited at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889 was recognized there as the best children's toy.
- Interior design
One of the most remarkable features of the castle's interior is a Renaissance fireplace in the dining room, which was originally located in Louvigny Castle . Although the dining room is located in the oldest part of the building, it was not built in its current form until 1886 during a renovation initiated by Louise de Laubespin .
Castle garden
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The property is surrounded by a spacious garden. The castle's orangery is the oldest in Belgium. The complex has about 300 year old orange trees and six kilometers long, labyrinthine arcades . Along the entire length between the castle and the orangery, a promenade runs above a wall, which is equipped with double-faced rulers' busts at regular intervals. In the middle there is a swan fountain, next to which a staircase leads up to the summer house of the palace complex.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Article Speisesaal auf Schloss Freyr on the homepage of Schloss Freÿr (PDF; 63 kB).
- ↑ Article reception room Ludwig at Schloss Freyr on the homepage of Schloss Freÿr (PDF; 47 kB).
- ↑ Article Ludwig XIV bedroom at Freyr Castle on the Freÿr Castle website (PDF; 44 kB).
- ↑ Article The Chapel at Freyr Castle on the Freÿr Castle website (PDF; 46 kB).
- ↑ Article bedroom of Maria Christina at Schloss Freyr on the homepage of Schloss Freÿr (PDF; 44 kB).
- ↑ Johannes Trimborn: War Diary of Dr. Johannes Trimborn , number 2, Magdeburg City Archives .
- ↑ Article reception room of the Duke at Schloss Freyr on the homepage of Schloss Freÿr (PDF; 47 kB).
- ↑ Article Large vestibule on the Freÿr Castle website (PDF; 59 kB)
- ↑ Article anteroom of the two Gildas on the Freÿr Castle homepage (PDF; 57 kB).