During the Second World War, Prince Eugène and Princess Philippine de Ligne set up the Foyers Léopold III, reception centres and shelters for needy children.
The largest of these was in Belœil. Between 1,000 and 3,000 children were housed in the castle and its outbuildings.
Among these, more than a hundred Jewish children were secretly taken in from the summer of 1942, fleeing persecution by the occupying forces.
At Belœil, they were able to benefit from life-saving protection, including false baptismal certificates, with the sole aim of saving their lives.
Historians estimate that between 160 and 200 Jewish children found refuge in Belœil between 1942 and 1945.
Discover archive material and a video recounting this part of the Castle of Beloeil’s history.