CASTLES GENAPPE

Château de Bousval in Genappe is a 16th-century castle with origins tracing to the household of Margaret of Austria, surviving as a distinctive tower dated 1567. The L-shaped structure was acquired and transformed in 1607 by J-B Maes and features seven bays with rectangular windows and wooden shutters arranged across two wings. Set within a ten-hectare park surrounded by brick walls, the estate was purchased in 2004 by Michel Verhaeghe de Nayer and transformed into an organic vineyard producing chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot gris grapes using biodynamic farming practices since 2021. The castle remains private and is not open to public visits.

Château de Houtain-le-Val in Genappe, Walloon Brabant, represents a remarkable layering of medieval and neoclassical architectural traditions. The current château, entirely rebuilt in classical style in 1763, retains echoes of its medieval heritage and features an entrance gatehouse flanked by round towers from the 16th century alongside an 18th-century rear wing. The original castle is believed to have been erected in 1129 by Walter de Holton, first lord of Houtain, making this site significant in the region's feudal history. Restoration work in 1850 added two small towers, further enriching the structure's visual complexity. The estate encompasses vast parkland, water features, wooded grounds, and a neoclassical orangery, though this private château remains closed to public visitation and retains visible battle scars from World War II German occupation and liberation.