As Halloween approaches, here’s a story to read by candlelight. Just an hour from Brussels, a mysterious castle still haunts people’s minds: Farciennes Castle. For centuries, a chilling rumor has hovered over this abandoned building. It is said to have been home to vampires… Urban legend or true story? This is the story of a place where the imaginary flirts dangerously with the real.
A fascinating abandoned castle for Urbex enthusiasts
South of Brussels, near Charleroi, the Château de Farciennes stands in an advanced state of ruin. Once a majestic Mosan-style residence, construction began in 1637 on the remains of a former feudal castle. Long surrounded by water thanks to a diverted branch of the Sambre, the residence bathed in an isolated and singularly eerie atmosphere.
Legend has it that the family of Hungarian Count Károly József Batthyány – who owned the property in the 18th century – hid a terrible secret: some of its members were… vampires.
Five mysterious deaths and a terrible secret
Between 1724 and 1742, five members of the Batthyány family died suddenly, including three children. All were buried in the Saint-Jacques chapel in Tergnée, on the other bank of the Sambre. When the building was demolished in 1851, workers discovered the coffins: four of the five corpses had iron spikes piercing their hearts.
What’s most disturbing? These stakes, 50 to 70 centimetres long and weighing up to 2.5 kg, are reminiscent of the traditional methods used to prevent the deceased from rising as vampires. Long before the publication of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula in 1897, the terror associated with “blood-drinkers” was already widespread in the Central European countryside.
This discovery gave rise to countless hypotheses. Could the panic-stricken villagers themselves have nailed up the bodies for fear of a curse? Or had the Count’s own family ordered this strange funeral treatment? The blood of the Batthyány family, of Hungarian origin and linked to Transylvania – the mythical region of Count Dracula, alias Vlad III the Impaler – has probably fed many superstitions.
Château de Farciennes, a heritage in decline, symbol of a collective imagination
Today, the Château de Farciennes is a listed ruin in Wallonia. Closed to the public for safety reasons, it remains a coveted destination for urbex and strange story enthusiasts. Restoration plans have been put forward by the commune to preserve this unique example of Mosan architecture and local collective memory.
Vampires may no longer prowl the castle, but its mysterious aura continues to seduce the curious and thrill-seekers alike. As is often the case, legends combine historical truth, a fascination with death and the need to explain the inexplicable. And in Farciennes, this boundary between myth and reality remains as fine as ever.