Château Congo is one of the most decayed Châteaus to photograph yet has the 'money shot' dining room so is always worth a visit. We arrived late in the afternoon and made our way into the Château carefully climbing over fallen timber and rubble as the Château descends into chaos. This is one of those buildings where yo think wearing a hard hat would be handy as the upper floors had completely collapsed and the stairway up to those floors completely missing. Still, the ground floor still had enough to retain our interest. 

Despite the Châteaus parlous condition, there was still furniture left inside still in situ as the walls crumbled around it which added to the strange feeling inside. Ceilings still retained their ornate detailing as the sunlight piereced through the gaping holes. 

 

Built in 1752, the Château was built on four acres of land with the facade constructed in the Louis XIV style with a coat of arms on an outbuilding of the Marquis of Radigues. It was actually built on an older foundation dating back to 1740. The Lamarche-Francotte family - who made their wealth as tobacconists - constructed the oldest section of the castle in 1820. In later years, the Château was the property of Count Alphonse de Meeus and Baroness Louise d'Overschie de Neeryssche and during their tenure, the Château underwent several renovations. 

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Durning the second World war, the Château seved as a camp for a German army unit when German forces invaded belgium in 1940 and was later used by the American 300th Combat Engineers in 1944. When we visited, it is thought that the Château had been abandoned for around 25 years. The - then - owner had little interest in the building hence it falling into a state of decay. In 2016 it was bought by a new investor and a few years later completely renovated into modern luxury apartments.