Waulsort (Waulsort )

À Waulsort

A - Mooring station


The captaincy of Waulsort's halt is in the barge L'Hirondelle - right bank downstream of the dam, between cumulative 9.317et 9800.

Port opened from May to September is occupied by members of the Yacht Club of the Haute Meuse but there is still availability for passing boats.

Services are limited on the right side but the site is beautiful and you are connected to the village of Waulsort by a smuggler, the last on the Meuse.

 
Contact: Mr. John Noseda - +32 (0) 331 481 476 and +32 (0) 82 645366

More informations

À Waulsort

B - Waulsort Abbey Church

In 940, around a dozen monks led by St Maccalin arrived from Scotland and settled in Haute-Meuse. They were invited by Eilbert de Florennes who wanted to found an abbey as reparation for a wrongful act committed and the abbey church was inaugurated in 1048.

During its history, the monastery became allied with its neighbour, Hastière Abbey. Together, and despite rivalries that sometimes brought conflict, the two abbeys gained in importance.

The presence of Château Thierry, a fortress perched on the summit of rocks lining the opposite bank of the Meuse and controlling the Meuse valley from Givet to Dinant, did not prevent the two monasteries being laid waste by iconoclasts in 1568.

Later on, they suffered in the wars of Louis XIV. The current Waulsort buildings, which date from 1670, are only part of the abbey as it was rebuilt in the 17th century. In 1793, like many others, the abbey was abolished by the French revolutionary authority and the monks were evicted. Two years later, in 1795, it was pillaged by the mayor of Givet. The abbey palace was converted into a castle in the 19th century. Today it is a private residence.

Enter History

À Waulsort

C - Walk


Le château Thierry

Creepers and ivy conceal a fortress forgotten by history. And yet in the Middle Ages, Château Thierry was one of the most powerful fortresses in the region! Perched on a rock spur, the castle overlooked the Meuse valley and its trade. The lords had no scruples about demanding ransoms from the traders and imposing passage duties on their boats. Château Thierry also provided protection for Waulsort Abbey, which stood at its feet: spiritual and lordly power provided mutual assistance.

Bon plan

De Waulsort, traversez la Meuse avec le bac et rejoignez cette belle balade assez physique. De beaux points de vue mènent aux ruines de château Thierry imbriquées dans la végétation. La fin de la promenade est superbe, en longeant la plaine alluviale de la Meuse.

Carnet pratique
Kilomètres : 3 km
Balisage : losange jaune
Difficulté : moyen, chaussures de rando conseillées !
Durée : 2h
Départ : débarcadère du passeur d'eau (auberge et panneau des balades).

Pour aller plus loin

Carte de promenades d'Hastière-sur-Meuse

À Waulsort

D - Walk


The small waterfalls

The foothills of the Meuse are no more than gullies where streams and brooks flow. This high, athletic walk leads to some delightful pastoral spots.

Practical details

Distance: 5 km

Waymarking: green diamond

Difficulty: difficult, walking shoes advisable!

Duration: 3h

Start: From the ferry landing stage (inn and panel showing walks).

 

To go further afield

Hastière-sur-Meuse walker’s map

Did you know ?

The Waulsort ferry carries on the long tradition of these ferryboats that carried people across the river where there were no bridges. Inaugurated in 1871, it took the inhabitants of Furfooz across to the other side, to Waulsort, from where they could catch a train.

Open from 1 April to 30 September, from 1.00 am to 6.00 pm (7.30 pm at the weekend).

“Le passeur d'eau, les mains aux rames,?

A contre flot, depuis longtemps,?

Luttait, un roseau vert entre les dents...”

'The ferryman, hands on oars,

Against the flow, long struggled,

A green reed between his teeth'

Emile Verhaeren - Le passeur d'eau (The Ferryman - 1895)



5540 Hastière