The Château de Wodémont or Walberg Castle is a

fortified house A fortified house or fortified mansion is a type of building which developed in Europe during the Middle Ages, generally with significant fortifications added. During the earlier Roman Empire, Roman period it was common for wealthy landowner ...

immediately east of the Belgian village of

Mortroux Mortroux (; ) is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of central France. Geography A farming area comprising the village and a couple of hamlets situated some north of Guéret at the junction of the D46, D56 ...

within the municipality of

Dalhem Dalhem (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On 1 January 2012 Dalhem had a total population of 6,996. The total area is 36.06 km² which gives a population density of 180 inhabitants per km². Th ...

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

. It is now used as a private residence. The Château de Wodémont lies at the top of an incline, on an outcrop of a plateau, and is close to the

Berwinne The Berwinne (; ) is a small river in the north-eastern part of Belgium. It is a right-bank tributary to the Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining ...

, lying just to the south of the river.

History

Around 1063 the castle was variously named as Waldenborch and Waldenberge. The old tower itself dates from the 11th or 12th century. A Latin document from 1143 mentions the tower using the name of Waldemonte. It had a defensive significance for the

Duchy of Limburg The Duchy of Limburg or Limbourg was an imperial estate of the Holy Roman Empire. Much of the area of the duchy is today located within Liège Province of Belgium, with a small portion in the municipality of Voeren, an Enclave and exclave, excla ...

because the valley below the castle marked the border between the because the county of Dalhem and the Duchy. A southern wing was added to the tower in the 17th century while the eastern wing was added in 1860. In 1513, on the death of John of Neufchâteau, the manor and Château de Wodémont passed to Balthasar van Moir Walde. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Château was occupied by the Germans and then subsequently by the Americans during the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

References

Castles in Belgium Castles in Liège Province Chateau de Wodemont {{Belgium-castle-stub