The best running trails around Fernelmont

Franc-Waret Castle is located in the commune of Fernelmont, in the province of Namur, Wallonia. It is surrounded by a moat and decorated with French-style gardens. An English-style garden extends over 120 hectares around the palace.

peaceful place

Fernelmont Castle is a manor located in Noville-les-Bois. The castle dates back to the 13th century, when it was built as a keep by the de Noville family. It was then enlarged and renovated by the Marbais, Barwitz and Harscamp families, who added various architectural and decorative elements. Surrounded by ponds and gardens, the castle is classified as an exceptional heritage site. You will be able to admire the exterior of the castle which presents a mixture of styles and periods, such as the Gothic keep-porch, the Renaissance residential wing and the Baroque staircase. Château de Fernelmont is a place where you can appreciate the beauty and charm of the Belgian countryside.

The Notre-Dame de Gelbressé church dates from the 11th century and has a solid Romanesque tower with an octagonal spire. Inside, you can admire the Regency-style stucco ceiling, the classic high altar and the Louis XIV-style side altars. You will also see funerary slabs and a statue of Notre-Dame de Gelbressé, the patroness of the village. The church is surrounded by an enclosed cemetery and overlooks the village from a wooded hill. You can take a peaceful walk around the church and cemetery, or take the hiking trails that pass near the church.

It is the closest abbey to Namur. A few sheep and a few goats nearby.

Right next to the Saint-Martin church, with which it forms a somewhat timeless ensemble, the castle-farm of Ramet extends its vast quadrilateral of bricks and stones dating from the first half of the 18th century. The central portal is surrounded by a high rectangular frontispiece and bordered by stone pilasters masoned in relief. The whole is surmounted by a triangular capital containing a slab with coat of arms. The paved courtyard, divided by a wall, accommodates, on the left, the castle and, on the right, the main building of the farm. The castle, of which we can only see the street facade, does not necessarily attract the eye with its removed windows, its 20th century door and its stone courtyard. The most appropriate place to admire this property is to go to the far left of the building. The entrance to a park is then revealed, decorated with a pond, whose old trees conceal several buildings forming the ancestral castle of Ramet. There are 19th century lintel windows on the façade, some of which are topped with oculi. The red color of the bricks contrasts perfectly with the surrounding greenery. A little gem in its case! (Cirkwi)

In 1914, castle owners were well aware of the tense situation between the great powers since the Algeciras Conference of 1906. They took measures to ensure that the works of art in the castles were preserved. In Franc-Waret, large crates were made to protect the paintings and send them to Namur to the Hôtel de Groesbeeck - de Croix. A famous chasuble and silverware from the church reached Namur. But time is running out and, from the beginning of August 1914, it becomes impossible to continue these transports. The paintings are hidden in Franc-Waret itself, in superimposed vaults whose bay is closed two days before the arrival of the Germans. The goblins and the wines are buried in specially designed zinc crates. Part of the wine is also walled. The Belgian soldiers warn the population of the village of the danger of staying in a village near a wood which attracts suspicion. The staff of the castle therefore leaves the village with the other inhabitants. The castle was very quickly occupied militarily by German soldiers. They arrive on August 20, 1914 and leave on September 7, 1914. The castle is, after their passage, in a lamentable state. All hiding places have been discovered and gutted. Furniture that has not been removed is broken. The archives are on the ground, lacerated6. As for the inhabitants of the village, they had to undergo the cruelty of German Uhlans who shot more than 12 people including children.

The castle of Franc-Waret is a vast quadrilateral built in blue stones and bricks. It is made up, to the north, of a fortified farm with a drawbridge and corner towers from the end of the 16th century to which is added, to the south, an 18th century castle, in a "U", facing south. The whole is surrounded by moats. It is a complex built according to a principle of defense. then remodeled in the middle of the 18th century on the plans of the architect Jean-Baptiste Chermanne, giving it a classic look. Large French gardens are established on the terrace to the north of the complex. A tower to the northeast was intended for habitation1. Access is via two bridges over the moat facing the main façade. This is centered by a frontispiece in the spirit of Louis XVI2. The wings in return comprise three levels with similar windows. On the ground floor, a coach shed surmounted by four keyed arches overlooks the main courtyard. At the junction of the east wing with the main wing, a three-sided neo-classical logia dating from 1834 benefits from a southwest exposure to the sun. Towards the moat, to the west, a long, almost blind façade joins the drawbridge which gives access to the courtyard of the farm. The outer walls were partially rebuilt around 1856-1859. The orangery was built in 1810 to plans by architect Fr. Duckers3. The Saint-Rémi de Franc-Waret church is located on the edge of the village, 100 meters east of the castle. The Groesbeeck family owned the castle until the end of the 18th century. It then passes to the Counts of Cross and then to the Counts of Andigné who reside there.