The ruin of the count’s castle

The walls that block the horizon in Rochefort are all that remain of the fortified castle that gave its name to the place. Excavations have revealed the foundations of a square keep, part of the primitive castle of the Montaigus. In the 17th century, Jean Ernest de Loewenstein, count of Rochefort and Prince-Abbot of Stavelot, converted it into a palace. In 1811, the castle was sold as national property: from being a fortress, it became a quarry and was taken down stone by stone. What a sad fate!

The castle had a turbulent existence, besieged many times owing to its strategic position, converted into a palace, nationalised and then used as a quarry by pragmatic locals. Today it is a centre of history and archaeology.