The Château des Mottes

At the time of the big forest clearings (11th and 12th centuries), the Château des Mottes was the military outpost of the Leuze lords at Frasnes. It actually was a wooden tower raised on a hummock (the English name for “motte”, from where it gets its name). This tower was protected by a fortified enclosure with a moat surrounded by a palisade. The keep was used as a living place for the lord and his family. It allowed him to watch over the surroundings and, during conflicts, to organise resistance if necessery. At the end of the 15th or the beginning of the 16th century, the wooden tower was replaced by a new brick manor. At the time, it was also surrounded by a ditch which channeled water from a stream. In 1787, baron Bernard de Saint-Genois ordered an important restoration of the castle. An inscription at the back of the front door mentions that episode, as well as the fact that Charles Vth stayed at the castle in 1516.