Château de Donceel

Donceel, Belgium, Belgium

---

The Château de Donceel is a historic manor situated at the end of the main street (rue Joseph Joirkin) in the tiny village of Donceel, in the commune named Donceel, province of Liège, Belgium, facing the Place Magnée on the banks of the Yerne river.

First mentioned in 1034 when Emperor Conrad II granted the free estate of Donceel to Thierry, Duke of Alsace, the site was originally linked to the abbey farm of Saint‑Jacques; the château itself later belonged to the de Hemricourt family in the 17th century and then to the de Chestret family, who still own it today.

The building is a modest, classical-style manor rather than a large fortified castle, and part of it has been converted into a reception hall, though it is currently closed to the public; the château and its abbey farm together form one of the main architectural landmarks of Donceel, alongside the medieval church of Saint Cyr that stands above the village.

Today the Château de Donceel remains a private residence and local heritage building, visible from the village square and the river, evoking the medieval and early noble history of this small Hesbaye settlement without functioning as a tourist attraction or hotel.