I can assure you that the month of September, low season and with much fewer tourists, the Belgian region of Wallonia is ideal to spend a few days. This region is French-speaking, and it is very picturesque for example to take a car and follow the course of the Meuse river. This is how I discovered one of my favorite jewels, Dinant.
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| Walzin Castle |
However, I and you continued a little further until I reached the beautiful Walzin Castle, located in the city of the same name. If it weren't for its imposing fortress, Walzin would surely be one of those small towns that would go completely unnoticed.
We have to move to the eleventh century to know the origins of this castle. In the first place it belonged to the Kefreyn family until the beginning of the fourteenth century, to later become the property of Wautier de Walzin, who, upon death in 1385, left it as an inheritance to his daughter Marie, who married Gilles de Kemexhe, passing to be owned by this family.
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| Walzin Castle |
Since then, bad times for the castle, which was sacked by the French army in 1466 and by the Austrians in 1489. Again, in 1554, the French troops of Henry II arrived at the castle to set it on fire. Since then the fortress has passed into the hands of the Brandenburg-Berlaimont family, the noble coats of arms that can be seen in their halls.
There are two ways to get to Walzin Castle. One of them is to drive there from Dinant, in a distance of just ten kilometers, and the other, much more recommended, is to park your car at the Anserremme train station and walk along the river Lesse. It is a five-kilometer walk, but it is certainly a great option to spend the day.
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| Walzin Castle |
However, more than seeing it up close, the truth is that Walzin Castle is one of those castles that you can enjoy from a distance. It stands on a huge white rock, with a thick grove at its feet. We told you to come closer in the month of September, since the colors of the surrounding trees give a magical character to the postcard photographs that you can take of the castle.
The Castle of Walzin is a Belgian castle located in Condroz in the village of Walzin, in the former municipality of Dréhance (today integrated into the municipality of Dinant) in the Wallonia Region in the province of Namur.
History
Perched on a rocky outcrop more than 50 meters high, hanging from a meander of the Lesse, this eagle's nest has for centuries blocked the lower valley of the river and one of the roads connecting Dinant to France.
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| Walzin Castle |
The castle, one of the largest in Belgium, was built in the 11th century, probably at the instigation of Théoduin of Bavaria, prince-bishop of Liège, or of Conon de Montaigu, count of Rochefort and companion of Godefroy de Bouillon's crusades.
It serves as an outpost and defense post for the city of Dinant. The only access to Dinant from the south was through the ford of Walzin.
On September 16, 1237, a treaty on Walzin was signed between Henry IV, Duke of Limburg, and the Prince-Bishop of Liege.