Château de Houtain-le-Val

Genappe, Belgium, Belgium

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Houtain-le-Val Castle (Château de Houtain-le-Val) is a historic château in the village of Houtain‑le‑Val, part of Genappe in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium.

The first castle on the site was built in 1129 by Walter de Holton, the first lord of Houtain, and was originally a medieval stronghold that later belonged to the Dukes of Brabant; the present building was largely rebuilt in 1763 in a classical style but retained much of its medieval façade, with two small towers added during a 1850 restoration and further modifications including the entrance hall dated to 1904.

The estate is surrounded by a large park, water features, the Bois des Galeries and a neo‑classical orangery, and during the Second World War the Germans installed a headquarters there; in September 1944, as British forces liberated the villages around Genappe, the Germans set fire to the château and hastily evacuated, accidentally damaging the entrance gate with a tank, an impact that is still visible today.