Arriving at Jehay, in the countryside of the Liège province, beyond a wide stretch of water rises a castle surrounded by a moat that traces its outline and reflects the light and dark stones of its facade. The silhouette is elegant and almost fairy-tale like, but in fact that appearance tells a story made of power, dynastic marriages, local wars, and architectural transformations spanning centuries. However, the detail that immediately captures the eye is its chessboard facade, a combination of light and darker stone that draws on the surface of the manor a geometric motif with striking visual impact.
It will not surprise you to learn that the structure is considered unique in Europe. But what are we talking about? The answer is: Jehay Castle, classified among the exceptional heritage assets of Wallonia. The visit, however, has today a particular character: the main building is undergoing restoration work and the interiors are temporarily excluded from the normal route.
The most interesting part of the experience thus shifts outdoors, between the courtyard, the moat, the park and the grand historic garden. All things considered it is fortunate, because it is precisely the landscape that allows one to grasp one of Jehay’s most original souls.
Brief history of Jehay Castle
The history of this site in Belgium begins long before its famous Renaissance facade. The marshy area around Jehay already possessed a strategic function in Celtic times. Subsequently the Romans transformed the place into a castrum, a fortified structure intended to control the territory. The location continued to hold importance even in the Carolingian era, when the Roman garrison gave way to a new fortification.
The date of the first genuine castle construction remains uncertain. Between the 12th and 13th centuries the property passed through several noble families. In the 14th century the castle belonged to Arnould de Jehain, while in the following century it became entangled in the turbulent affairs of the Principality of Liège. Wathieu Datin owned it in the first quarter of the 1400s, before being banished in 1428 following his rebellion against the principality.
In 1483 it passed to the De Sart through marriage. The wars between Prince-Bishop Jean de Hornes and the De la Marck family caused further damage to the structure at the end of the 15th century. The major turning point came around 1550, when a member of the De Sart rebuilt the castle, giving it much of the Renaissance imprint that remains visible today.
In 1567 Jehay passed to the De Mérode, who kept the property for nearly 150 years and launched further building campaigns. In 1720 Lambert Amand van den Steen, lord of Saive in Hesbaye and private adviser to the Prince-Bishop of Liège, purchased the estate. His descendants adopted the surname Van den Steen de Jehay and remained tied to the residence until the 20th century.
The last owner was Count Guy van den Steen de Jehay, a pivotal figure in shaping the park’s current appearance. In 1978 he ceded the castle, estate and part of the collections to the Province of Liège, while retaining the usufruct. Upon his death in 1999, the Province became the full owner.
The visit between castle, collections and gardens
Today the route centers on the outdoors. Even before reaching the park, it is worth stopping in front of the facade and studying its weave. The light and dark stones build a kind of enormous geometric motif, particularly evocative as the light changes during the day. The moat adds a second dramatic element and creates that curious impression of a building resting on water.
The interiors are affected by restoration works, so the regular visit favors the exterior spaces and the historic outbuildings, where permanent exhibitions dedicated to the castle’s collections are mounted. Among the displays is the Jehay Cabinet of Curiosities, dedicated to a taste for unusual objects and precious collections, and other exhibitions that allow visitors to better understand the estate’s artistic patrimony. Depending on the program there may also be events and temporary initiatives.
The park’s landscaping, instead, follows the model of the Italian garden, with axial perspectives, flower beds, water features, notable trees and long rows of lime trees trained into regular shapes. The geometry of the vegetation dialogues intriguingly with that of the facade, creating a through-line that runs through the entire property.
Among the more curious elements is a 19th-century icehouse, built to preserve natural ice collected during the winter. It’s one of those details that tells the daily life of great estates better than a long explanation, because behind a simple structure lies the ancient domestic organization necessary for preserving food before the arrival of modern refrigeration.
The route then leads to the grand 19th-century historic kitchen garden, recently restored. It covers about one hectare and is enclosed by a brick wall. Inside, ancient varieties of vegetables, aromatic plants, edible flowers, fruit trees, and roses find space. The crops are also supplied thanks to the Institut Provincial d’Enseignement Agronomique de La Reid, maintaining the link between the historic heritage and the local agricultural culture.
A surprise awaits along the park’s paths. Among the greenery are bronze sculptures with clearly erotic forms, the work of Count Guy van den Steen de Jehay himself, the man who redesigned the park in its most recent configuration. The route can end by crossing the wooded area to the castle’s courtyard. Returning toward the chessboard facade, after seeing trees, vegetables, statues and green perspectives, the building seems even more different: the stone takes center stage again and the moat reconstitutes the initial scene.
Location and how to reach
Jehay Castle is located at 1 Rue du Parc, 4540 Amay, in the province of Liège, in Wallonia. The estate sits north of the town of Amay, in a rural area characterized by fields, small centers and agricultural landscapes. Driving remains the simplest way to reach the complex, which has parking. The location also allows it to be included in a broader itinerary through the Terres-de-Meuse, a territory crossed by the Meuse and rich in castles, abbeys and ancient villages.
Amay deserves a stop beyond Jehay as well: the town preserves an important historical heritage and lies along the Meuse, with old industrial sites repurposed as natural areas. In the surroundings you also encounter the Abbey of Paix-Dieu and the collegiate church of Sainte-Ode and Saint-Georges, two places that allow you to continue the journey through religious architecture, local history and the Walloon landscape.
