Museum of Autelbas

During the 9th and 10th centuries, the village of Autelbas seems to have been an important centre for the production of domestic pottery. Archaeological investigations have located several kilns; The pottery produced here was characteristically of orange coloured,undecorated, fine-textured clay. (Original text by MT du Pays d?Arlon)The very first fortification was built at the 13th century, near a brook in order to water the future moat. In 1409, Antoine de Bourgogne, the son of Philippe le Hardi, duke of Burgundy, gets the Dutchy of Luxembourg after his marriage with Elisabeth de Goerlitz. The Luxembougish nobility is not pleased by the arrival of this new lord. It is the case of Huart II, lord of Aubel, seneschal, diplomat of the Kings of Bohemia, and civilian and military governor of the dutchy. The ancient castle of Autel was much too small to resist, so it was taken and destroyed by Antoine's soldiers in 1412. The current ruins are what is left of the castle that got built in 1432 after these events. The new castle was occupied by the Dautel d'Autelbas family until this family died at the end of the 16th century. The lordship went in the hands of several families. In 1371, the lordship streched on about the Autelbas brook valley (from Autelbas to the mouth, east) and a little part of the haut-Eisch valley (from Grass and Kahler in the Southern part, to the North of Steinfort, in the Northern part). The castle was turned several times, improved, repaired, and partially re-built through the centuries; both the castle and its surrounding farms, the gardens, the oven and so on. In 1802, the baron of Hinderer had to put the castle and its annex for public sale because of a bankruptcy. The lawyer Tinant bought the whole and he exploited the farm of the castle. As Tinant had no children, some tenant farmers occuped the castle from the middle of the 19th century. During the First World War, the estate was sold by lots to the village inhabitants. As for the castle, it is no more inhabitated since 1966 and it changed owner several times since then. It is listed in the main heritage of Wallonia in 1976, then seriously damaged by a fire in 1983. Allthe wooden parts that still existed in 1983, among which the roof and the floors have disappeared. The Walloon region explorated the surroundings of the ruins from 1991 till 1993. There are works on the castle since 1998 in order to consolidated its state and to restore some parts. Currentle it represents only a third of its primitive volume. The objects that were discovered on the site are exhibited at the Museum of Autelbas.