Top 20 Castles around Soumagne

The castle's origins date back to the 11th century. It was first documented in 1155, but the first buildings probably date back to the time of Bishops Henry of Verdun (1075–1091) and Otbert (1091–1119). As one of twelve residences of the Prince-Bishop of Liège, it served to defend the eastern border of the principality.

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The Château de Colonster is located in Sart-Tilman, on a rock overlooking the Ourthe valley, on the edge of the city of Liège. The castle and its park have been the property of the University of Liège since 1963. The first references to the castle date back to the fourteenth century. The castle owes its current appearance to Maximilian-Henry of Horion, Count of Horion. The interior of the castle is the work of artist Paul-Joseph Delcloche. In 1966, a fire destroyed a large part of the castle. The restoration and conversion took place under the direction of the architects Henri Lacoste and Jean Opdenberg.

The park features works from the Musée en Plein Air, including the two sculptures "Movement through Time and Space" (Stainless steel / Artist: Thierry Bontridder) and "Joie de vivre" (Bronze / Artist: Rik Wouters). Source: https://www.campus.uliege.be/cms/c_2223166/en/b25-colonster-castle

The complex includes several adjoining courtyards. The first courtyard is surrounded on all four sides by galleries with Gothic cross vaults resting on 60 columns. They are all designed differently and richly decorated with fantastic human figures and grotesque masks. They were probably inspired by the humanist way of thinking, the Renaissance and the discovery of the New World. Inside the building, numerous pieces from the time of the prince-bishops have been preserved, including their former private apartments. Source: https://www.visitezliege.be/de/offre/palais-des-princes-eveques#containerDescription

The Palace of the Prince-Bishops in the Belgian city of Liège is located on the Place Saint-Lambert in the heart of the city. Until the end of the 18th century, it was opposite the Saint-Lambert Cathedral, which was destroyed by revolutionaries. The current building, with its imposing façade, is the third building to house the Prince-Bishops of Liège. A first palace was integrated into the fortifications by Prince-Bishop Notger, but that building disappeared in a fire in 1185. It was rebuilt by Rudolf of Zähringen. This construction suffered greatly during the plundering of the city by the troops of Charles the Bold and also burned down in 1505. Everhard van der Marck, who became prince-bishop in 1505, began the construction of a new palace, the construction of which he entrusted to Arnold van Mulken in 1526. Construction lasted until the end of the 16th century. The very special courtyard (Cour d'Honneur) is surrounded by a colonnade with sixty Renaissance columns of different types. Some of the capitals are decorated with masks and heads with feather headdresses based on the Aztec model. Apparently the bishop was fascinated by the treasures of the Aztec empire that had been conquered in 1521. The south facade was completely renovated after a fire in 1734, under the direction of the Brussels architect Johannes Andreas Anneessens. In 1849, a new wing was built on the west side to house the provincial government. In 2010, the Justice Department and the provincial government occupied the former palace.

The castle was first mentioned in the 14th century, but its current appearance is that of an 18th-century reconstruction by Maximilien-Henri de Horion, who transformed it from a fortress into a pleasure palace, with interiors decorated by Paul-Joseph Delcloche. The castle and its park were acquired by the University of Liège in 1963. Source: https://www.campus.uliege.be/cms/c_2223166/en/b25-colonster-castle

The Prince-Bishop's Palace, which today houses the Palace of Justice and the seat of the provincial government, is often cited as one of the largest civil buildings in the Gothic style in the world.