S-le-Château (Belgium)

Ruins of a once prestigious castle built in 1302 by the Lords of Haneffe. In the 15th century, the Counts of La Marck acquire the chateau by marriage. At the end of the 15th century the famous William of La Marck owns the castle. During the civil war against the Prince-Bishop John of Hornes, he often sought refuge in the Chateau. The castle stayed in the hands of the La Marck family during the Wars of Religion against the Spanish occupier and was besieged in 1568 by Prince-Bishop John of Groesbeeck, who had been attacked by the troops of William of Orange. When the last Countess of the La Marck family marries the Duke Charles of Arenberg, the family loses the castle in 1774. After the French Revolution, the castle was sold to the Counts of Oultremont in 1812. In 1869, the chateau burnt down and was reconstructed. Several decades later, it became abandoned.