Château Vyle
THE ABANDONED CASTLE IN BELGIUM
‘Château Vyle’ is an abandoned castle in the village Vyle-et-Tharoul, part of the Marchin municipality. The building was renovated in 2016 after years of neglect.
This castle originates from the nineteenth century, yet it stands on an older foundation dating back to 1740. The Lamarche-Francotte family constructed the oldest section of the castle in 1820. Designed in a Neoclassical style, the castle features a facade of whitewashed bricks. The Lamarche family established their wealth as tobacconists.
Later the castle was property of Count Alphonse de Meeus and Baroness Louise d’Overschie de Neeryssche. In fact, the château stayed property of the Meeus family for many years. During these years, the castle has been the subject of many restorations and transformations.
Second World War
Château Vyle played a notable role during the war. It served as a camp for a German army unit when German forces invaded Belgium in 1940. Similarly, in 1944, the American ‘300th Combat Engineers’ used it for the same purpose. Consequently, the furniture was removed, and they slept on the dining room floor, while the officers stayed in the rooms upstairs.
Deserted
At the time of my visit, the castle had been deserted for two decades, leading to the collapse of the roof and the first floor. The building is essentially crumbling. During its period of neglect, the castle became a popular site for photographers and earned the nickname ‘Château Congo’.
In July 2016 the castle was bought by an investor and as a result the castle was eventually renovated into apartments. I visited the castle just before it was renovated. Follow this link for more abandoned castles.
