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800-Yr.-Old Belgian Castle Will Go to Highest Bidder


On Monday, a famous 800-year-old Belgian castle will be auctioned off by court order to the highest bidder, and it looks as if someone could snag a real bargain. The 13th century Corroy-le-Château located just south of Brussels and surrounded by a moat, was built by nobleman William of Brabant and remains one of Europe's most perfectly-preserved medieval strongholds. The current owners, descendants of Brabant's, have been fighting over the property for years and have now been ordered to sell it with a Monday deadline. The highest bid so far is for a measly $3 million, the International Herald Tribune reports, though it is probably worth ten times that much. However, if no other bidders come forward in time, the 16,000-sq.ft. fortress on 50+ acres will be sold for that amount.

Brazen Thieves Steal Bzyantine Cross


Earlier this week I mentioned the jewel theft at the Damiani store in Milan. An even bigger theft went down on February 18 in Belgium. A pair of armed robbers broke glass display cabinets containing items from the Cathedral Treasury making off with several prize pieces including eight 17th-century chalices, two episcopal rings, two episcopal crosses and the beautiful Byzantine cross shown here, a 5th Century piece which is gold and set with precious stones, pearls and paste. The robbers disappeared into an Audi driven by an accomplice.


[via Stolen Vermeer]

$1 Million Grand Enigma Speakers Top the List of Most Expensive


Now we're just getting ridiculous. Joining the "$1 million" club is these Grand Enigma speakers by Karma, and there's apparently only 1 pair in existence in a basement somewhere in Belgium. Seeing as how there's only the one set, it really doesn't matter what the features are (it's not like you could get your own), but I'm still really curious! Just what does a set of speakers have to do to be worth that much? They look huge, but other than that I'm skeptical (I don't see any diamond accents...) and it seems feature specifics are hard to come by.

And be sure to check out the rest of HigherFi.com's list of the world's most expensive speakers, with 2nd place going to Wisdom Audio's Infinite Grande at $600,000.

Dining is an Adventure with 'Dinner In The Sky'


Now here's a concept that takes the idea of "a unique dining experience" to a whole new level, literally. Created from an idea by Belgian chef Quentin Jadoul, Dinner in the Sky is one of those things that is exactly what it sounds like: it's a large dining table that seats about 20 people and gets hoisted high up into the sky on a crane -- there's even room in the middle for the waiters to come along! And surprisingly, even though it's based in Belgium the table is mobile and travels around Europe for different events and occasions, and the menu can be adjusted to accommodate tastes for pretty much anything.

For somewhere around $20,000 you can have your own "Dinner in the Sky" party, just pray for good weather and hold onto your napkin!


Via Wine Spectator

Kids Hotel at Atomium

This famous, beautiful structure is known as Atomium. Located in Belgium, it was built for the World's Fair in 1958 and is a replica of an iron molecule, enlarged 65 billion times. Atomium was not intended to be a hotel at all, but when the complex was renovated this year, a portion of the structure was turned into the Kids Sphere Hotel, which just opened this month. Unfortunately, parents can't just book their children in and take off for a romantic evening. The hotel can be reserved only for chaperoned groups.

[via The Cool Hunter]

Sotheby's Auctions Off Royal Jewels

princess tiaraSotheby's haslanded another royal score, the estate of Her Royal Highness Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, the Princess of Belgium. The auction, which will be held on December 19 in Paris includes jewels, silver and works of art that belonged to the late princess. Some of the coveted possessions include two diamond tiaras which were both worn by Princess Josephine-Charlotte on her wedding day with Prince Jean . Earclips, hair ornaments and brooches and bracelets all designed by some of the most famous jewelers in the world are all part of this rare collection. The auction also includes other distinctive pieces such as a set of 12 gilt silver and enamel tea spoons with a tea strainer and sugar tongs in the original case and a collection of 15 exquisite royal fans.

[via National Jeweler]

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