Castle of Ardenne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Royal Castle of Ardenne (Château Royal d'Ardenne, formerly also spelled "Hardenne") was situated in the municipality of Houyet in Belgium not far from the Royal Castle of Ciergnon. The edifice was commanded in 1874 by King Leopold II of Belgium and was built after the plans of his architect Alphonse Balat. It replaced on elder hunting lodge erected in the 1830's on the same spot by Leopold I.
King Leopold II wanted to promote the Belgian region of the Ardennes as a holiday destination for the international yet-set. To this goal he had his château converted into a luxury hotel. A railway station in the corner of the park made the remote castle accessible to tourists. An 18 holes golf course was installed in the park. The Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits ran this hotel from 1899 onwards. The hotel closed its doors definitively in 1950. It was then abolished and was destroyed by fire in 1968. The remains were demolished in 1970.
Today only the "Tour Léopold", a pavilion in the beautiful park, remains of the vast castle. It serves as a club house to the Royal Golf Club du Château Royal d'Ardenne.
