Domaine de Mariemont

Situated near the village of Morlanwelz about 8km/5mi from Binche, the Domaine de Mariemont is named after Mary of Hungary who built a hunting lodge there in 1546. Eight years later the lodge was to suffer the same fate at the hands of the French as Mary's palace in Binche. The Austrian Archdukes Albert and Isabella rebuilt and enlarged it, only for French revolutionaries to set fire to the palace again in 1794. Later, one of the administrators of Mariemont, Nicolas Warocqué, acquired part of the estate, and in 1831 built himself a small château. This was subsequently expanded by Warocqué's grandson Raoul in order to house his extensive private art collection. In 1960 however the greater part of this château was also burnt down and since 1975 the art collection has occupied a modern purpose-built museum.