The castle of Antoing

We invite you to come and discover the rich heritage of the town of Antoing anywhere on its territory. With your family or friends, let yourself be surprised by the history of these impressive places and by the historic events that the town has witnessed.

The capital of the Pays Blanc never ceases to surprise you !

The Castle of Antoing is one of the town's landmarks. It dates back to the 12th century and has never been the subject of a financial transaction. In fact, this residence has been occupied by only 3 families since it was built: the Antoing, the Melun and the Princes de Ligne, who still live there today. In the absence of a male heir, the castle was passed down from one family to the next by marriage.

This feudal castle dominates the entire Escaut valley. It is surrounded by fortified walls and its entrance is protected by a bolwerk.

Discover its rich history during guided tours organized from the end of May to the end of September on Thursdays, Sundays and public holidays at 3pm.

Bookings can be made with the Antoing Tourist Office by phone on +32 (0)69 44 17 29 or by e-mail addressed to info.tourisme@antoing.net

Please note: There are no guided tours on Heritage Days, the Printanières and Antoing au fil du temps festivities.

For groups: possibility of organizing a guided tour from late May to late September, on Thursday, Sunday and public holiday afternoons, by reservation and subject to guide availability.

Practical information:

- Visit only with a guide. No free access to the park.

- The tour lasts around 1h30 to 2h, and appointments are made at the Tourist Office.

- It includes the castle ramparts, the lapidary museum and climbing the dojon tower before enjoying a magnificent panoramic view of the Antoing region (280 steps).

- Due to the number of steps, the tour is not accessible to people with restricted mobility, people with heart problems or pregnant women.

- The manor house is completely private!

- Prices : 

• Adults (+ 12 years): 5€
• Senior (+ 60 years): 2.50€
• Children (6 - 12 years): 2.50€
• Children under 6: Free

- Dogs are not allowed on guided tours.

Download the château guided tour brochure below.

More about the castle and its history

At the end of the 10th century, the Count of Flanders seized control of the right bank of the Scheldt. He erected a fortified position on the hill beside the river at Antoing and stationed a garrison there.

Control of the passage through the “Trou d'Antoing” was lucrative; as a result, the captains-at-arms who commanded the garrison acquired wealth and power.

In the early 12th century, one of them became Lord of Antoing. The old wooden tower and palisades gave way to stone buildings.

Hugues d'Antoing died without male issue at the battle of the Eperons d'Or (July 11, 1302). In 1327, his daughter Isabeau married Jehan, viscount of Melun de Tancarville. The castle thus passed into the hands of the wealthy Melun family, who carried out major renovations and gave the village of Antoing a remarkable boost.

At the end of the 14th century, Hugues de Melun granted local craftsmen (quarrymen and clothmakers) the charters they needed to develop trade.

His son, Jean de Melun, proved a sumptuous lord. A friend of Philip the Good, he received the collar of the Golden Fleece from him. In the 15th century, he built the bolewerk, a remarkable model of military architecture.

Philip the Good (1464), Charles the Bold (1468), Henry VIII (1513) and Maximilian of Austria (1517) all stayed here, as did Louis XIV.

In the mid-16th century, the chatelaine had a high brick tower topped by a watchtower built against the keep, along with a Spanish-Flemish Renaissance-style manor house, and had part of the ramparts knocked down to open up to the countryside.

The political and religious upheavals that marked Philip II's domination of our region led to a succession of problems for the de Melun family, with the result that the château passed by marriage to the Princes de Ligne family.

In the 19th century, Eugène de Ligne, who had declined the offer to become the first King of the Belgians, decided to renovate the château.

During the guided tour, the guides will show you the “old stones”: the surrounding wall and the bolwerk.

In the lapidary museum, they detail the remarkable recumbents and orants of the d'Antoing, de Melun and de Ligne families.

And finally, a visit to the dungeon, with its oubliette, knights' room and lord's chamber, reveals the great moments in history that have marked the life of the château: the Hundred Years' War, the Burgundian period, the politico-religious troubles of the Inquisition and the stay at the château of student Charles de Gaulle, during the 1907-1908 school year.