Château d'Aulteribe

The first traces of the château date back to the 13th century, when it belonged to the Cholet family. In 1467, the castle was fortified, and archways and gunports were built. Its appearance at the end of the 15th century remains difficult to reconstruct. The lordship of Aulteribe remained in the de Montboissier and then de Beaufort-Montboissier families until 1662.
In 1775, the property was sold to Jacques de Pierre (1718-1800), who took the title of Marquis. At the time, the medieval château was described as threatening and in ruins. His grandson, Joseph de Pierre (1808-1885) married Marie Pauline Henriette Onslow (1814-1883), daughter of the composer George Onslow. He was a graduate in agronomy and physiocrat and applied his principles to agriculture. With the help of his sister-in-law, Caroline Costoz-Onslow, he restored Château d'Aulteribe in the Romantic style and embellished the grounds. Henry de Pierre, born in 1871, and Antonia de Smet de Naeyer (1874-1949), founder of the Royal Belgian League for the Protection of Birds, were the last owners of the estate.