Château Miranda

Château Miranda
Celles, Namur, Belgium

General view of Château Miranda before demolition began in October 2016
Type Neo-Gothic, Château
Site information
Open to
the public		 No
Condition Part Demolished
Site history
Built 1866
Built by Edward Milner
Materials Stone

Château Miranda (English: Miranda Castle), also known as Château de Noisy (English: Noisy Castle) is a 19th-century neo-Gothic castle in Celles, province of Namur, Belgium, in the region of the Ardennes.

History

The Château was built in 1866 by the English architect Edward Milner under commission from the Liedekerke-De Beaufort family, who had left their previous home, Vêves Castle, during the French Revolution. However, Milner died before the Château was finished. Construction was completed in 1907 after the clock tower was erected.

Their descendants remained in occupation until World War II. A portion of the Battle of the Bulge took place on the property, and it was during that time that the Château was occupied by German forces.

In 1950, Château Miranda was renamed "Château de Noisy" when it was taken over by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB) as an orphanage and also a holiday camp for sickly children. It lasted as a children's camp until the late 1970s.[1]

Today

The Château has stood empty and completely abandoned since 1991 because the costs to maintain it were too great, and a search for investors in the property failed. Although the municipality of Celles has offered to take it over, the family has refused, and the enormous building is now (as of 2015) in a derelict state, succumbing to decay and vandalism. Parts of the structure were heavily damaged in a fire and many areas of the ceiling are collapsing. Despite this, it has become a favorite venue of urban explorers. As of June 2016, the Château has been acquired and is now off-limits listed as 'private property'. Demolition of the castle began in late October 2016 with the conical gothic roof peaks being removed.

The Château is used as a filming location by the American television series Hannibal. The building is shown as Castle Lecter in Lithuania.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sansivero, Bryan (2 January 2015). "Belgium's Abandoned Fairytale Castle". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "Hannibal (TV Series): Secondo (2015)". IMDb. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
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Coordinates: 50°13′16″N 4°59′24″E / 50.221°N 4.990°E / 50.221; 4.990


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