HAINAUT & BRABANT WALLON © so advance planning might be wise in summer if you’re not taking daytrips.so advanceplanningmightbewiseinsummerifyou’re nottaking this chapter. Beaware thataccommodationisthinonthegroundin thatsouthernquarter Botte du inNamurprovince, iscoveredHainaut, which,thoughpartly forconvenience in patchworks ofwoodlandover forests. blanket Ifitisforests you’re after, headsouthintothe the namerecognition oftheArdennesbutisoften more instantlyattractive ifyouprefer beyond ’sslagheapsliessomevery pretty, undulatingfarmland.This area lacks abbey ruinsatAulne andVillers-la-Ville. haunting to thebeersofSilly,alongwithsomemagnificentchateaux andtheparticularly your ownwheelsthere are toseekout,fromuniquecanal-workings manyoffbeatattractions tourist draws. ’s TournaiandNivelles finestRomanesquechurches. sport Andwith southern fringe,theworld-famousWaterloo BattlefieldisoneofBelgium’s mostpopular historic reputation forexcessthatitgave theEnglishlanguageterm ‘binge’.OnBrussels’ and ’ penitents’ procession( p16 ). ’srenowned ( p216 unmissable annualfestivals, includingtheMons‘Doudou’( p214 ) hadsucha ), ’s giants’ parade( p18 ) lack the magic ofBrugesorGhent,thearea hostssomeofBelgium’s craziest andmost There’s muchmore towestern thaninitiallymeetstheeye. Whiletownscapeshere WallonBrabant &Hainaut 208 

L Once-vibrant CharleroiandLaLouvièreOnce-vibrant are often associated withindustrialdecaybut

       HIGHLIGHTS

o PROVINCES: HAINAUT (CAPITAL ),

n BRABANT WALLON (CAPITAL )

e comes tolife oneSaturday amonthatPipaix Steam BlowerBrasserieàVapeur ( p212 ) traditional festivals one ofBelgium’s mostraucous,mesmerising Dragon SlayersMons’Le Doudou ( p214 ), museum ( p222 ) nearCharleroi Photo Finish The world-class photography field ofWaterloo ( p216 The mudthatchangedhistory Carnival Capers BingewiththeGillesofBinche(p216) ( p210) Architectural InsightRomanesquetransformsintoGothicinTournai’siconiccathedral ( p223) abbey ruinsatVillers-la-Ville ( p220 ) andAulne Time StoppedStillThe evocative Cistercian l y

P l a n e t The battle-  LANGUAGE: FRENCH Pipaix Mons Binche Aulne Waterloo Charleroi Villers-la-Ville HAINAUT & BRABANT WALLON Spy 209 (15km) (14km) Onoz 20 km To To Dinant 12 miles Gembloux To Leuven To Treignes Mazy Louvain- la-Neuve Corroy-le -Château CFV3V Steam Railway Mielmont Wavre (Waver) Dourbes To Liège (75km) Nismes Abbaye de Villers Ligny Fagnolle Grottes de Neptune Laneffe Airliner Cafe N25 N5

Villers-la-Ville

Sombreffe

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Ottignies

o e Brûly-de-Pesche Plancenoit

Thy-le-Château

Vieux-Genappe h

N

Le Bois du Cazier

N5 c u

Photography Museum n

Couvin Philippeville Ea Walibi & Aqualibi a Berzée Brasserie Waterloo

Ham-sur-Heure

Cour-sur-Heure des Fagnes Bl Charleroi Mariembourg

BRABANT-WALLON u Genappe

(battle site) Ea A54 Auberge de Poteaupré Quatre Bras 0 0 Abbaye d'Aulne Bourlers Forges Virelles E42 Rance (battle site) (Nijvel) Butte du Lion Nivelles Ragnies Hougoumont nal e Hainaut

Botte du

r

Ca b

Braine l'Alleud Cha

rleroi els N90 m -Bruss Sa Abbaye de Scourmont E19 Macon La Louvière Binche Beaumont Halle (Hal) Ronquières

Erquelinnes

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Strépy-Thieu Boat-lift Le Roeulx

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t n Borinage Ascenseur 1 devastated in 1940 by WWII fire-bombing. fire-bombing. devastated in 1940 by WWII survived,While the cathedral largely almost all other historic buildings had to be pains- was so com- Restoration takingly restored. Grand Place now looks that the lovely plete medieval that it had done somewhat more the war. before ous fortified bridge (Pont des Trous) from the (Pont ous fortified bridge Tournai was expansion. In 1513 wall’s later England and the VIII of by Henry conquered town even sent a parliamentary representative back to being sold to London before it was swallowed later in 1519. Just two years Tournai empire. by the Hapsburg-Spanish for tapestry- wealth as a centre found renewed making (in the 16th century) and porcelain (in the 18th century) but was manufacture (Zinnik) Spiennes Havré Canal du Ce (Endingen) nay, nay, N6 Cuesmes N55 Silly (Opzullik) Geraardsbergen (Grammont) N6 Lessines (Lesen) Quévy Aulnoye-Aymeries Mons (Bergen) E19 Ath (Aat) OOST-VLAANDEREN Belœil HAINAUT Brasserie Ellezelleoise Aubechies Tourpes To Ghent (Gent, Gand) To Ghent (Gent, (36km) Leuze F R A N C E du Cat Moulin Sauvage WALLON •• Tournai & BRABANT HAINAUT (Renaix) Pipaix E19

A8 Scheldt

N60

HAINAUT & BRABANT WALLON & BRABANT HAINAUT

(41km) Valenciennes (26km) To Lille To Lille To Paris (183km)

Tournai (Doornik) TOURNAI TOURNAI pop 67,300 Garde) from the first 1202 city wall and a curi- 1202 Garde) from the first Autonomous from France as of 1187, the city Autonomous from France as of and Prends- (St-Georges two towers retains ebrated Merovingian king, was born here in here king, was born Merovingian ebrated he 465 and while he soon decamped to Paris, spiritual centre. left Tournai as the region’s original 5th-century capital of the Frankish original 5th-century capital of the most cel- dynasty. Clovis, Merovingian it grew to prominence as the Roman trad- it grew Tornacum, and was the ing settlement of finest cathedrals. Inhabited since ancient an- finest cathedrals. Inhabited , to learn more) p212 tiquity (visit Archeosite, Doornik in Dutch) has Wallonia’s most Wallonia’s most has Doornik in Dutch) Belgium’smemorable Grand Place and one of Enjoyable Tournai (pronounced tour- Tournai (pronounced Enjoyable lonelyplanet.com

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