Chateau de Montjardin

Aywaille, Belgium, Belgium

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Château de Montjardin is a medieval castle situated high above the Amblève river in the hamlet of Henumont, near the village of Dieupart within the commune of Aywaille in the Belgian Ardennes, perched on a narrow rocky platform 60 metres above the river with thick stone walls and commanding views of the valley.

A castle existed on this side of the Amblève from the early Middle Ages, but the first fortress was destroyed in the late 14th century and replaced in the 15th century by a more strategic castle on this elevated site, whose square stone keep (donjon) dates from that period, was burned in 1640, then rebuilt and enlarged before later 19th-century modifications transformed much of the complex into a residence still occupied by the Theux de Montjardin family, who have owned the domain since 1734.

The present ensemble includes a main building with a 17th-century façade of sandstone and limestone, 19th-century wings and outbuildings, and, nearby in Dieupart, the ruins of the earlier “Vieux Montjardin” or “Vieux Jardin” castle destroyed in 1286, which are visible as low enclosing walls and remnants accessible on foot from the village church.