The best traffic-free bike rides around Heers

The castle of the lords of Kozen is located on the spot where three municipalities meet: Kozen, Wijer and Stevoort. Strictly speaking, the castle is on the territory of Wijer, the farm is in Kozen and the barn in Stevoort. Previously, avenues connected the castle site with these three villages. The oldest known lords of Kozen belong to the van Wesemael family, who lived in the fourteenth century. Around 1400, the lordship and the castle belonged to the de Diest family, and in the seventeenth century, the de Kerckhem family ruled here. Above one of the gates, a stone can be seen, on which the family coat of arms is shown twice. It dates from the time when Arnold de Kerckhem and his wife Annemarie de Kerckhem, who was also his niece, lived here. Still in the seventeenth century, the castle belonged for a time to the land commander of Alden Biesen. From 1699, the van Afferden family acquired the domain. They are the last lords of Kozen. At the end of the nineteenth century, the castle was owned by a certain Jacquelart. He rebuilt the castle and gave it its current appearance.

The castle is a U-shaped building with a northwest corner tower, which is the former keep. The side wings still have their 17th-century stepped gables. The appearance is strongly influenced by the 1763 renovation, and the interior also dates from that period. Rococo stucco work, a plastered ceiling, and several fireplaces are found. Interesting is the cardinal's hall, dedicated to Jean Walther de Sluse, who was a cardinal and whose coat of arms is present. A stone flower vase on a pedestal is also depicted, attributed to the Liège native Cockler. Of the outer bailey, only the southern wing remains. Furthermore, there is the gatehouse from around 1700, flanked by two square, brick towers. These are covered by bell-shaped roofs - covered with slate - crowned with a lantern. The castle - located near the church - is surrounded by a park. @https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasteel_van_Hoepertingen

wonderful road for cycling

visible from the road (private property)

beautifully maintained castle with adjacent B&B, nice cycling/hiking trails

Today, the castle houses a 4-room gîte for 11 people. More info: https://www.letulipierdelempereur.be/

This estate was owned by the Fastré de la Neuville family, better known as Longchamps, in the mid-15th century. A first castle, the date of construction of which is unknown but of which some remains remain, remained in the Longchamps family until 1710 when Marie-Françoise de Longchamps, wife of Charles Jean-Baptiste de Fabritius, then bequeathed the property to her daughter Marie-Catherine Françoise de Fabritius. After she married Waltère de Sélys, the estate passed to the barons of Sélys-Longchamps 1 . The castle was built for Michel-Laurent de Sélys ( 1759 - 1837 ), who in 1795 , the year of the reunification of the principality of Liège with France , was president of the new municipal council of Liège and in 1800 mayor under the consulate . Michel Laurent de Sélys Longchamps was married to Marie Denise Gandolphe, born in Paris on 19 March 1777 and died at the Château de Longchamps under the Second Empire, on 28 October 1857. Marie Denise was the daughter of Mathieu Joseph Gandolphe and Denise Jacqueline d'Aran des Castans. Michel-Laurent de Sélys-Longchamps asked the Parisian architect Aimé Dubois for plans for a new castle. The project was entrusted to the Liège entrepreneur Duckers and the Parisian sculptor Mongin. The construction of the castle was completed in 1810. During the emperor's reign, magnificent parties were held there. Source: Wikipedia

The church of Celles is probably the only church in Belgium dedicated to Saint Madelberta. To be honest: I had never heard of this saint before. Saint Madelberta was a Merovingian noblewoman who succeeded her deceased sister Aldetrudis as abbess of Maubeuge in 696. Madelberta was venerated quite soon after her death. It is not impossible that the convoy that brought her relics to Liège at the beginning of the 8th century stopped in Celles; after all, Celles was close to the Roman road that led from Bavay to Cologne. I was lucky enough to have a look inside the church. The friendly lady who let me in proudly pointed out the glass cabinet at the front right of the church; it contained relics of various saints (but not of Saint Madelberta?)