The best walks and hikes around Remicourt

The castle dates back to the 18th century and was extensively renovated in the 19th century. It was long inhabited by the Brabant de Limont family. In 1993, it became a hotel and a venue for parties and meetings.

Haneffe also commemorates the two official world wars and their impact on the municipality and the people who lost their lives. The monument that was erected for this purpose, together with the names of the victims, can be found on the central square, just at the exit of the very small village park where you can relax for a while.

Haneffe's fortified house, to the left of the church when you stand in front of it, and his farm, which is to the left of the fortification, are inextricably linked. The "high courtyard" refers to the fortified house, while the "low courtyard" refers to the farm buildings that serve as logistics for the castle. The entire complex dates from the 18th century, with some outbuildings from the 19th century. The current quadrangle consists of two identical wings with stables and haylofts. The moat around the castle also surrounded the farm and connected to the existing pond at the entrance. The farm and the castle were separated and therefore also connected by a drawbridge. The farm is also visible and accessible via the Rue Ribatte (where you can see the current name of the farm, Ferme Schalenbourg Filles). Today it is a pedagogical farm and from the farm you can reach the fortified building (and the church) via the courtyard and a small bridge, but ask permission and do not go into the garden of the fortified house!

Next to the Templar farm is an old chapel, the so-called Temple Chapel. Of the commandery itself, only a few gravestones of the great commanders remain. These were incorporated into the masonry of the Temple Chapel when it was rebuilt in 1628 on the initiative of Knight Charles de la Fontaine. The materials came from an earlier chapel that was built between 1139 and 1312 with limestone and sandstone. It was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, the patron saint of the order. The chapel has a fairly simple floor plan and is small. Source: AWaP

The Saint-Pierre church, built of sandstone and limestone rubble, was almost entirely rebuilt in the 19th century, in neo-Gothic style. Only the tower and the choir of the previous sanctuary have been preserved and are affected by the classification measure. Located to the north, the strong quadrangular tower is entirely made of limestone. On the north side, the chainage bears the date 1393. Another commemorative slab with the coat of arms of the lords of Haneffe, dated 1593, informs us of a restoration of the whole at that time. The tower is pierced, on three sides, with arched bays equipped with louvers. It is topped with a hexagonal slate spire interrupted by dormer windows. The choir, built in 1545, was raised in 1778 and then remodeled in neo-Gothic style in 1895 by the architect Edmond Jamar who added five ogival bays. The nave, from the 18th century, was restored in 1838 and then modified by Jamar who added a transept. Inside, the church is decorated with a shingle vault, entirely polychrome, made in 1896 by Benjamin Deterville and Walthère Colette. Among the preserved furniture, two funerary slabs are also protected by the classification measure. At the entrance to the nave, in the wall, the beautiful slab of the priest Moes is dated 1658. In an arm of the transept, we find the magnificent funerary slab in black limestone of Godfroid de Mirbach, known as Mirbicht, who died in 1551, and his two wives, Anne de Wihogne and Isabelle de la Falloise, the latter having died in 1552. The three figures are represented lying in bas-relief. Below, we find their coats of arms in twelve quarters. Listed as a monument (tower, choir and two funerary slabs) on 23 October 1957. Source: AWaP https://qrwallonie.be/QR/Donce003?code=Donce003&language=fra

Also known as Ferme du Tilleul. The U-shaped farmhouse dates from the first half of the 18th century. Its most striking feature is the beautiful house with its harmoniously arranged limestone frames and borders. There are still traces of a red plaster on the brickwork. This is made from a mixture of lime and animal blood. Beautiful building.

As early as 1265, according to a charter from the abbey of Val Saint-Lambert, there was a commandery farm in the Haspengouw village that we know today as Haneffe. The Templars had a domain here with, in addition to the large farm, among other things a chapel that can also be viewed nearby in a more recent but dilapidated state. The commandery not only had its own farm and livestock but also a series of lands and (rental) farms from which it received income. In 1312, the commandery became part of the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. According to a report from 1503, the house was rented to a farmer who collected the income from the lands and the taxes. He was responsible for the maintenance of the buildings and the operation of the chapel three times a week and on holidays. In 1797, the commandery was declared national property by the French occupier and sold to a certain Gérard Demet. The farm has retained a fairly homogeneous layout, despite the many transformations it has undergone, and is typical of a rural commandery, following the Cistercian plan where all the buildings form a square around a central courtyard. It is accessed via a carriage gate with a dovecote above it. The door bears the date "1761" and the coat of arms of Jacques-Laure le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Hospitaller of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Commander and Ambassador of the Order with a diplomatic activity in which he became ambassador of the Order to the Holy See in Rome. A fascinating building of which you can see a lot but all in all it is still quite limited. Together with the nearby remains of the chapel and the rest of Haneffe, it is more than worth it and a 'must' for anyone interested in the Templars, even if there are not so many sources that mention the farm and commandery over the centuries. Sources and further reading: https://www.templiers.org/haneffe.html https://www.passion-patrimoine.fr/spip.php?article120

the Geer, the Jeker in Dutch