18.1 km | 21 km-effort
The famous castle of Lavaux-Sainte-Anne is definitely essential sightseeing. In the 13th century, the Lord Jacques de Wellin, called de Lavaux, ordered the construction of a simple tower on the banks of the Wimbe, which was to be used to keep a watch on the main forest road. The seigneury then passed on to the Berlo family circa 1391. In 1450, the knight Jean II de Berlo had the castle renovated; the towers and curtain walls are still visible now. In 1500, the seigneury belonged to the Baron R. de Mérode who ordered the construction of the fourth tower. In 1574, after a new marital alliance, the Baron Sieger de Groesbeeck inherited the Domain. In 1627, the latter sold the seigneury of Lavaux lock, stock and barrel to the Baron Rouveroy, an infantry colonel in the army of the Emperor Ferdinand III. The Baron partially converted the castle and added a huge farm to the property. The Lords of Berlo and Rouveroy both contributed architectural splendours to the castle and hugely influenced the history of the domain of Lavaux.
In 1795, after the tumult of the French Revolution, the domain was sold as state property. It was bought in 1810 by the Malaccord family, thus putting an end to the castle’s seigneurial ‘career’. It was later abandoned and eventually fell into ruin. In 1933 it was sold on to the ‘League of Friends of the Castle of Lavaux’ (Ligue des Amis du Château de Lavaux), founded by the Baroness Lemonnier who gave a new lease of life to the castle. Recently the castle has undergone numerous rearrangements and an ecological area has been added on the outskirts of the estate.
Cycle
Randonnées de la Maison du Tourisme Famenne - Ardenne Ourthe & Lesse PRO
