Castle of La Roche-en-Ardenne

Every castle has its legend. This one too. In the eleventh century, the lord of La Roche had only one daughter who could inherit his power and fortune. Berthe de La Roche was the name of the woman attributed with exceptional beauty. She had an abundance of suitors. To choose his future son-in-law, her father organized a knightly tournament in the castle of La Roche. Men from not only the Ardennes but also from the Condroz, the Liège region, Hainaut, and Haspengouw offered themselves to try their luck. One of them was Waleran, the eldest son of the count of Montaigu. This was surprising, as he was already betrothed to Alix de Salm. Nevertheless, he fought fiercely until the last round of the jousting tournament to win Berthe's hand. Then, unexpectedly, an unknown rider in black appeared in the courtyard of the castle. He was small and slender, almost still a child, and wore light armor. The unexpected challenger elicited a laugh from Waleran, but in the fight, he had to concede defeat. When he fell to the ground with a clatter of iron, the black knight thrust a thin dagger under his helmet and cut his throat.

The decision had been made. The happy father took the couple to the bridal chamber, but the next morning they did not show up again. Worried, he knocked on their door. Shortly afterwards, the bride was found in the castle moat, she had been stabbed. Gradually, it became clear that the mysterious knight was none other than Alix de Salm, who had disguised herself as a man to take revenge on the woman of her former fiancé. To carry out her punitive expedition, she had sold her soul to the devil. Since then, the spirit of Berthe de la Roche has been wandering.

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