Castle of Bouillon

Bouillon Castle is a medieval castle in the town of Bouillon in the province of Luxembourg in Belgium.

Although it was mentioned first in 988, there has been a castle on the same site for a much longer time. The castle is situated on a rocky spur of land within a sharp bend of the Semios River.

This castle is the real deal.  None of that built in the 1800's stuff.  And the best part is that we were free to run around and explore the whole place. We crawled into dark tunnels, climbed to the tippy top and explored everything in between.

In 1082, Bouillon Castle was inherited by Godfrey of Bouillon, who sold it to Otbert, Bishop of Liège in order to finance the First Crusade. The castle was later fitted for heavy artillery by Vauban,Louis XIV's military architect in the late 17th century.

Illustration of Godfrey of Bouillon (central figure) from Willian of Tyre's Histoire d'Outremer, in the care of the British Museum

 

There was water dripping from the ceilings and running through the tunnels.  I could imagine just how cold and dreary this castle could have been to live in all those years ago.

I think that clock might be a more modern addition.

Amazing views from the top of the fortress

I'm thinking the liability laws are much more lax in Europe...In the US they would either close this area or install fencing to keep you from climbing up and falling over.  In Europe you are supposed to have the good sense to not fall off the top.  Sadly however I think so many people in our country have let themselves become so inept and incompetent that you can't trust them to read the sign and have the good sense to be careful.

There were some dark pits and dungeons in this place that you would not want to be in.  It was amazing to see it-to just stand there-and imagine what life was like during Medieval times.