Castle of Fallais

Braives, Belgium, Belgium

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Castle of Fallais (French: Château de Fallais) is a large medieval fortified castle in the village of Fallais, part of the municipality of Braives in Liège Province, Wallonia, Belgium, originally founded in the 11th–12th century by the Beaufort family and developed over several centuries into a quadrilateral stronghold with four circular corner towers and a surrounding moat along the Mehaigne river.

The castle’s history is marked by conflicts with the Prince‑Bishopric of Liège, Burgundian interventions, and the presence of figures such as Charles the Bold and Louis XIV, who in 1675 ordered the destruction of the Burgundy tower and the Grignard tower during his campaign against Liège, events that left the castle partially ruined before later reconstructions and restorations, including major work in 1881 by architect Auguste van Assche that preserved the original layout but altered its appearance.

In the 20th century the building served as a home for the elderly between 1936 and 1982 and later returned to private ownership, and today it remains a private residence that is normally inhabited but allows visitors to explore the grounds and admire the exterior from set hours and conditions, with regular access to the park and moated perimeter, visits to the interior only on special occasions such as Heritage Days or concerts, and supervision required for children and dogs due to the water-filled moat.