Château du Roeulx

Le Rœulx, Belgium, Belgium

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Château du Rœulx, also known as the Château des Princes de Croÿ, is a large classical castle in the town of Le Rœulx, in the province of Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium, closely linked to the history of the Habsburg Netherlands and the Hainaut nobility.

Its origins date to an 11th‑century fortified structure that became the seat of one of the twelve peerages of Hainaut, and after several reconstructions and partial destructions in the 16th century it was redeveloped and largely rebuilt in the 18th century, with a classical façade and two side wings added between 1713 and 1760 by Ferdinand Gaston‑Joseph, Duke of Croÿ, giving the present U‑shaped, French‑style classical building with a central balcony, dome and a richly decorated main staircase.

Since 1429 the castle has been one of the main residences of the Princes de Croÿ, and it remains their private property to the present day, although access to the interior is restricted and generally not open to the public except by special arrangement or closure for renovation. The estate is surrounded by a large park with several hectares of wooded and open areas and two ponds, one of which has a small island, and the grounds are traditionally opened to the public once a year on the first Sunday of June for one of Belgium’s largest hot‑air balloon festivals, when 50 to 100 balloons launch from the château park.