A castle and a village
1228-1430

Site and Monument,
inscribed on the List of Major Heritage
of the Ministère de la Région Wallonne

some views

GESTION :
Owner - gestion : The section of Dinant of the Division of Nature and Forests of the DGRNE of the Ministère de la Région Wallonne
Heritage : Archeology Service - Namur of the Division Heritage of the DGATLP of the MRW
Welcoming - Information - Animation : the asbl Les Amis de Poilvache since 1987

WHAT YOU’RE VISITING :
A Natural state Park since 1976 : 51 Ha of area baught by the state from de vinck Family in 1968 in order to study the specific plants of a biotope wich main characteristic is a limestone underground turned to the south.

The ruins of Poilvache : At the extreme southern part of the park a large site covers 2.5 Ha and includes the rests of a castle and of a village. Every building you’re going to see has been builded, occupied, destroyed, rebuild, enlarged, made more solid for 200 years !!

The oldest mention about it is find in a text of 1228. It was founded by Isabelle de Bar and Waleran de Montjoie and then given back to the Count of Luxemburg to depend and administrate the region. Very soon, however, the castle followed the destiny of the Count of Namur. At the best moment of the history, Poilvache ruled over 58 fiefs and coins were stroke in a coin workshop. In 1421, the Count of Namur, to whom Poilvache belonged at the time, was baught by Philippe le Bon, duke of Bourgogne. Poilvache was destroyed in 1430 by a coalition of people from Dinant, Huy and Liège.

The welcoming building of the asbl:
Invitation to have a drink in front of the panorama of the Collebert : gravures ad paintings made about Poilvache (Lauters and Turner), periodical review of the asbl, special 2000 “Et ce fut Poilvache”..., beers of the Bocq Brewery (Purnode) and the waters of Spontin, the medieval chocolate coin “Esterlin de Poilvache “ ...

The Southern Tower or the view of 7 km over the Meuse:
This extraordinary view leads you from the ruins of Crevecoeur (with nuclear station of Chooz on the back) unto the bridge of Yvoir (medieval ruins of Montaigle behind the forest-covered hill of Anhée). The Meuse and the present view aren’t those of the Middle Ages: railroad in the 1860’s, canalised river, the road on both bank of the river, the village of Anhée on the left bank, ... The limestone hill of Poilvache, that resists a meander of the Meuse, was logically used by a defence settlement and as a commercial may by the Meuse. Several fords have been seen at the bottom of the settlement. The walls, reinforced in 1980 follow the hill of limestone and stands 100 m. above the river. The Geronsart Tower ad the Coin Tower attested worshop in 1298 with 22 suplementary coin strikers. They had double mites striked there.

The constructing holes:
Were used to fix, scaffoldings and inclined floors in order to put stones during the construction of the wall.

Opening to the cliffs of Champalle:
It are long and small cliffs made of limestone with a southern exposition. There grow plants of the south. The forestguards maintain a few zones of this kind in order to study the developpment of the plants. For example : orchids, box trees, valerian ...

The so-called Grand Pignon House:
It is one of the exceptionnal jewels of the settlement : a part of medieval wall that gives us a lot of indications about the medieval house and the reinforcement of walls at the country : large staircase leading to a cellar with 2 openings, tank, house build against the wall. Lower part of the wall reinforced, negative of a chimney, 4 levels : a cellar, a first floor, a second floor and a loft, inclined roof in 2 parts, door-window at the level of the guard path, 6 different niches (lightening?), several mortars, start of a window ... : house of a special guest which was build as nearces possible from the castle, where there was no place left?

The well in the middle of the yard and organizing the castle:
The well, cleared several times by the archeologues and the cave explores is 54,54 m. Deep. It is alimented by rainwater and the one contained in the earth. It’s carved out in the middle of the yard around which the castle is organized. The functionnal building and the houses are built against the walls. Poilvache is a castle in the Philipian Style (French King) (J. Mesqui) : simple shape with 4 corners, long walls reinforced by round towers, dungeon (?), integrated in the walls, ... The mark of the stone cutter and the 2 doors with arcades that you easily may see in the eastern part of the XIXth century. The northern part consists of 2 cellars – tanks and a living level. The eastern part, on the side of the “fausse braie”, consists of 3 rooms for living, with an access to the stranghold of entrance. The western part is made of a large room, a tank with a level for living, the direct entrance to the castle and a range of rooms that are going to be cleared off. An incomplete chronology of the walls has been established.

“Méraude – Poilvache” (Cowhair): the legend, explanation of the names:

1. Military explanation and legend: the conquest of the castle would have been possible thanks to men that had hidden themselves under cow skins in a head of cows mend for consumption. (Henri de Nimal in the XIXth century, stay takenover by the Oncle Paul, Spirou of 1973, reedited in the periodical publication of the asbl Les Amis de Poilvache, special 2000)
   
2. The farmers around, linked to Liège, were fed up with the fact that the “noblemen” of the castle came to steal cows of their hords : “Here you have those of the castle that steals our cows” they said.
3. The farmers called it so because a violent wind made the hair of their cows bow and even tore it out.

Have a good reading and a pleasant visit !!