Castle Libermé

Eupen, Belgium, Belgium

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Castle Libermé (Schloss Libermé) is a moated water castle located in Kettenis, a village of the municipality of Eupen in the province of Liège, Wallonia, Belgium.

It was first mentioned in 1334 as a fief of the Aachen Church of the Virgin Mary, and in 1346 Arnold von Libermé is recorded as its owner; the castle remained in the von Libermé family until the middle of the 15th century, after which it passed through several noble families including those of Battenburg and Straet.

The castle was rebuilt and given a forecourt and farm in 1534 by Hermann von Battenburg, severely damaged by French troops in 1684, rebuilt by the De Halley family, and again destroyed by fire in the 18th century before being reconstructed; in the early 20th century, Anna Maria Theresia Suermond carried out a major renovation that raised the building and added a mansard roof, and the entire ensemble was comprehensively restored in 1995 after a previous use as a restaurant.

The castle itself is a fully moated, L‑shaped complex of rubble stone, with a bel‑étage reached by an external stone staircase, connected via a stone bridge from 1756 to a forecourt that contains two farm buildings, storage halls, and a gatehouse from 1534 flanked by two heavy round towers; the entrance features carved stones with the coats of arms of the Battenburg and Straet families, marking the former location of a drawbridge.