MONTAUBAN (The Castle of the Four Sons of Aymon )

Anlier Forest, the kingdom of the Four Sons of Aymon, which forms a natural border between Lorraine and the Ardennes plateau, is one of the biggest in the country. A superb area for hiking and exploring!

À

A - The archaeological park and the lapidary museum



Visits : free of charge on the site - For groups : paying guided visits in English on request .


Montauban
6743 Etalle
Tel : 0032(0) 63 57 03 15
Web : www.musees-gaumais.be

the Archaeological Park and the Lapidary Museum


Fifteen centuries of refuge: this was the destiny of Montauban. The spur was occupied by humans five centuries before Christ, a place of refuge in an already troubled time: the same held true from the 3rd century to the 8th century AD, when Germanic tribes invaded Roman Gaul.

 



Visits : free of charge on the site - For groups : paying guided visits in English on request .


Montauban
6743 Etalle
Tel : 0032(0) 63 57 03 15
Web : www.musees-gaumais.be

Did you know?

At the top, another story awaits you, that of a legend and a site.

When you reach the summit, the ditches, quarry stone walls and levees blend into the surroundings. This magical place is also pervaded by the legend of the Four Sons of Aymon who dared stand up to Charlemagne.

The lapidary museum


Located on the fortified site classified as ‘Outstanding heritage of Wallonia’, the lapidary museum is a modernist creation designed by the international architect Constantin Brodzki. It bears witness to three successive periods of occupation from the Iron Age to the Middle Ages. The museum houses a series of Roman bas-reliefs discovered on site. One of these, the famous harvester of Trévires, is currently to be found in the Gaume museum in Virton.

During the summer, the Belgian Luxembourg Contemporary Art Centre presents original exhibitions here.




Route des Frères Lamormainy, 6
6960 Manhay
Tel : 0033(0)86401333
Web : http://www.resto-azimut.be

À Montauban

B - Ruins of the Forges of Montauban


The sweet smell of humus and the magnificent beech avenues bear no resemblance to Montauban as it was at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution… And yet. The iron and steel industry in the region prospered from the 16th to the 18th century. The imposing ruin of the charcoal market bears witness to the huge quantity of charcoal the forge required…

Did you know?

The intensive mining of coal, a new fuel, discovered in the Sambre and the Meuse basin in around 1850, rendered charcoal obsolete. What remained of the Ardennes forest was saved in extremis

À Montauban

C - Walking

The Laclaireau walk

The RAVeL network of foot- and cycle paths is the guiding thread through the vast forest. The noise of our steps has replaced the racket of the steam train carrying the riches of the region to distant countries. The stream and lakes lend a blue veneer to the russet and gold environment of the great beech grove. What a marvellous setting for the Geste of the Four Sons of Aymon!

 

Practical details

Distance: 11 km

Waymarking: blue triangle

Difficulty: average

Time: 4 hrs

Start: from the old forge, take the road towards Ethe as far as the RAVeL.

Did you know?

At the end of the walk, you will be astonished to discover a series of small waterfalls hurtling down the slope. These ‘crons’, as they are called in Gaume, refer to petrifying limestone springs and the tufa rocks they form. This is a superb site: the sharply sloping clearing is criss-crossed by a host of brooks bubbling with crystal-clear water. The flora and fauna include rare and threatened species: wild columbine and the cordulegaster bidentata dragonfly. There is no limit to the biodiversity of the Gaume…