Harzé Castle
The Harzé Castle is located in the same district of the municipality Aywaille in the province of Liege in the Walloon region of Belgium .
history
Ownership
The first owners of the complex were the de Clermont family at the beginning of the 14th century, who built a fortified complex on this site. In the period that followed, Harzé changed hands several times. That only changed when Margarete von der Marck married Jean de Ligne in 1547 .
In the 17th century, the castle took on its current appearance when Count Ernest van Suys married the heiress Ernestine van Linden in 1631 and had major construction work carried out in the following period. This is how the castle courtyard with the round towers was created, 2 of the massive towers are still preserved. In the following years the castle was owned by the von Eynatten family and the de Rahier family.
The castle has been a listed building since 1965. In 1973 it was acquired by the Province of Liège, which today uses it as a seminar center.
Battle of the Bulge
During the Second World War during the Battle of the Bulge from October 29, 1944, the castle served as the headquarters of the American armed forces, the XVIII. U.S. Airborne Corps under Maj . Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway . On December 28, 1944, Commander-in-Chief General Eisenhower met with Ridgway in the castle. A plaque at the entrance to the castle reminds of this.
Milling and bakery museum
This handicraft museum is located in the old farmhouse of the castle . In six exhibition rooms, the route from the wheat harvest to the traditional mills in the Middle Ages to the bakery in the early 20th century is shown using numerous exhibits. The museum shows the development from the water-powered mill to the first industrial mills. Visitors can get to know the complete process of an authentic water mill, the drive of the millstones and hydraulically operated levers and gears. In the further course, the production of baked goods and confectionery from the Napoleonic period to the post-war period is shown. Functional machines from everyday bakery are presented as well as utensils and hand tools for making ice cream and chocolate.
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 26 '27.6 " N , 5 ° 39' 57.6" E