The Castle of Lavaux-Ste-Anne

When approaching the castle from the east, it looks like a fortified farm. From the west, it's a medieval castle. Inside, it's partially a palace, giving a vivid impression of seigneurial life in the 17th and 18th centuries. And it hosts museums of nature and rural life in the Famenne.

In the writing room, homeschooling, a microtrend nowadays, was the usual education path for the young, though limited to the happy few. In those days where few people received formal education, finding an adequate teacher must have been a challenge.

The music room gives an impression how to spend an evening without internet or television. The rise of chamber music in the second half of the 18th century must have been a big improvement.

The castle visits offers three 3 routes:

1. Life in the castle
2. Nature Museum
3. Rural life in the Famenne

The first and last routes blend very well with the castle. But the hosting of a nature museum in the castle is unfortunate (unless you're into taxidermy or the culture of hunting). Moreover, the nature museum consumes a lot of space, and it's placed in the middle of the castle visit.

The castle hosts a museum shop allowing you to buy regional products, books, cards, souvenirs, ...

A few testimonials (from the visitor book and our party)

• A splendid monument, very well maintained
• A fascinating visit, much enjoyed by our grand-children
• Good idea to have a shop inside the museum
• Sometimes, access is a bit difficult (slippery stairs, low ceilings)
• A bit cold in winter
• Wonderful collections
• Unforgettable, educational, vivid impression of renaissance and local life
• The tour is a bit chaotic - better signposts would help

Practical
The castle is about 100 km South-East from Brussels, reachable through a one-hour drive. For address and visiting hours: www.chateau-lavaux.com. A visit to the castle, shop and surroundings takes about 1.5 hours.

The nearby Castle of Celles-Vêves is another of Namur's great castles and definitely worth a visit. Also, there is the town of Rochefort where you can visit the archeopark or the caves.

In summary

The castle receives its fair amount of visitors and they are very welcome. The visit has great educational value. There is plenty of documentation which is available in 4 languages. Though the castle is only a km from the highway, there is nice scenery to be enjoyed. There is also a shop with a good offer of regional products as well as books and souvenirs.