Farciennes Castle

Farciennes, Belgium, Belgium

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Farciennes Castle (Château de Farciennes) is a ruined 17th‑century castle in the village of Farciennes, in the province of Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium, built on the site of an earlier 14th‑century feudal donjon first mentioned in a 1344 document.

The present building, erected from 1637, is a large Mosan‑style residence in brick and limestone, arranged as a quadrilateral with three towers, set on a small island formed by a diverted branch of the Sambre river and originally surrounded by water which enhanced its isolation and prestige. 

In the 17th century the castle became a fashionable noble residence with elaborate gardens: two rows of trees 35 m high and a water jet rising almost 20 m, and it was even said to be called “the Petit Versailles” by Louis XIV, who visited and inaugurated the completed works in 1677. 

Over later centuries the estate changed function, serving as a glucose factory and then as a large farm, and in 1916 it was officially classified as protected heritage, but by the second half of the 20th century the buildings fell into disrepair and are now a derelict, stabilized ruin surrounded by a post‑industrial landscape.