The Castle of Godfrey of Bouillon (The Castle of Godfrey of Bouillon )

Land of the crusaders

 

At the bend in the Route de France lies the fortress which, for a thousand years, has cast its shadow and its history over the small city of Bouillon. A story written in blood and the epic of the First Crusade, led by the master of the place, Godfrey of Bouillon… Here, legend and history mingle.

 

À Bouillon

A - The Abbey of Cordemois


Cross the neo-Gothic Poulie bridge and go along the magnificent route de la Semois: this will take you to Cordemois Abbey. The style may be familiar as it calls to mind Orval Abbey, designed by the same architect, Henry Vaes, with its diagonal ribs evoking hands clasped together in prayer. The cloistered nuns receive visitors within their community every day.

Tip

A small shop run by the sisters sells produce from the abbey.

À Bouillon

B - The convent of the Sepulchrines


In Bouillon, on the banks of the Semois, stands an imposing white edifice: the old convent of the Sepulchrines, an order established by Godfrey of Bouillon. The order of the Holy Sepulchre aimed to spread the Christian faith in the Holy Land. In 1626, the prince-bishop of Liège authorised the nuns of the Holy Sepulchre to found a branch in Bouillon. After the devastating wave of 1790, the convent housed a brewery and an ironworks, before being occupied by the Godfrey of Bouillon Archeoscope: the just returns of history.

À Bouillon

C - The bridges and other passageways


If a knight on a charger were to ride across Poulie bridge, it would hardly seem surprising: the architecture appears to come straight from the Middle Ages. And yet this neo-Gothic bridge dates from … 1935. This is just one of the crossing points dotted along the untamed course of the Semois, a formidable natural rampart. The slabs of shale rock will be used for centuries as fords across the water. Like the one in Han, at the mouth of the Moulin Hideux, which opened up the path of the great forest of Bouillon. A redoute was established there in 1695, keeping watch over the border of the Kingdom of France.

Did you know?

In Bouillon, the Liège bridge, the oldest in the city, built in 1069, provided a passageway between the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire. Time and time again, it was swept away and destroyed by the ice sheets carried along by the Semois. The Little Ice Age, which lasted from the early 16th century to the mid-19th century, had transformed the Ardennes into a Nordic country!

Tip

A small shop kept by the nuns sells produce from the abbey.

À Bouillon

D - The castle and the legend of Godfrey of Bouillon


Even though the castle today bears little resemblance to that of 1096, it is well worth visiting as the presence of Duke Godfrey can still be sensed: a strange feeling pervades you as you stroll through the ruins, as if the shadow of this great leader of the first crusade could appear in the knight’s’ room or the spiral stairs at any moment… Within the castle walls, the sense of wonder continues when birds of prey rise up from the ruins and perform a heavenly ballet. This show brings to mind an age-old hunting technique: falconry.

> During the season, a falconry display takes place within the castle walls (including the site admission price).



The last ticket is delivered 45 minutes before closing.
Joint tickets for the Castle, the Archeoscope and the Museum are available.


esplanade Godefroid, 1
6830 Bouillon
Tel : 0032(0) 61 46 42 02
Web : www.bouillon-initiative.be

Tip

Avoid parking in front of the castle entrance. Instead, explore the imposing walls by following the path that starts alongside the tennis courts, upstream of the Bastion de Bourgogne. The path is lit, so when night falls the route becomes a playground for night birds immersing themselves in ten centuries of history…

À Bouillon

E - Bouillon Medieval Experience


A fascinating time machine has been installed in a 17th-century convent. Thanks to the very latest multimedia techniques, visitors can follow in the footsteps of Godfrey, reliving the highlights of the first crusade. The ideal complement to a visit to the fortified castle.

Bouillon Medieval Experience
Quai des Saulx, 14 - 6830 BOUILLON
Tél. : +32 (0) 61 46 83 03
https://www.bouillonmedievalexperience.be

Tip

Visit the castle and the Bouillon Medieval Experience to learn about Godfrey’s epic story. Inquire about the pass for these two attractions and benefit from a discount.

À Bouillon

F - The Ducal Museum


This is the ideal setting in which to find out about Bouillon’s thousand-year history thanks to the varied and attractive collections.

Musée Ducal
rue du Petit, 1 - 6830 Bouillon
Tel : 0032(0) 61 46 41 89
Web : www.museeducalbouillon.be

À Bouillon

G - The little Bouillon tourist train


Passengers adore this little train that takes them on a guided tour of the town and the surrounding area, exploring twelve centuries of history and some superb beauty spots.

Start from the Liège bridge

À Bouillon

H - Walks galore


In the area around Bouillon, the Semois constantly forms magnificent arabesques in the landscape, hugging the slopes to form peninsulas. On the maps, the paths leap from ridges to valleys: the waymarked routes found here are without doubt among the most beautiful in Wallonia.

The Tourist Office has published a lovely walking map on an IGN (Ordnance Survey) background. We would particularly recommend the ‘Moulin de l’Epine’ walk, which is delightfully pretty.

Walking

‘La Ramonette’ walk
The natural site alone is outstanding. The view over the Semois valley and the little city is superb. ‘La Ramonette’ is surrounded by the river and was occupied by the Romans, who saw it as an essential strategic location.

 

Practical details

Distance: 1.5 km

Waymarking: red diamond, walk No 10

Difficulty: easy

Time: 1 h

Start: access the path via the route de France. At the tunnel, take the Vieille Route de France, on the right, which climbs.

 

Walking


The Belvedere

This route offers you superb panoramic views of Bouillon.

 

Practical details

Distance: 6 km

Waymarking: red diamond, walk No 14

Difficulty: average

Time: 30’

Start: access the path from the opposite bank of the Semois, leaving Cordemoy bridge.

Tip

Just after the Cordemoy monastery, at the Moulin de l’Épine, you can stop to eat at the inn before continuing along the route (red diamond, walk No 15). Go down into Bouillon along a cantilevered path worthy of the loveliest mountain routes…

À Bouillon

I - Meet and savour


Nathalie’s market

This is above all a love story, that of Marc and Nathalie who decided to open a shop to be a standard bearer of Belgian beer. Traditional beers are both their strength and their weakness. Strength in their quality, weakness in their production, which is of necessity limited. “My beer orders were not always met”. Fed up with the situation, he began producing his own beer. “I started to brew 20 litres at the back of the shop, in an area of 50 m2…”. Now the brewery has been transferred to the slopes above Bouillon, to Noirefontaine, where more room means that we can brew 50 beers following different recipes.

Contact
rue de la Girafe, 76
6830 Bouillon
Tel : 0032(0) 61 46 89 40
Web : www.brasseriedebouillon.be

À Botassart

J - The Giant’s Tomb


Botassart, a village near Bouillon, is the scene of one of the loveliest, most majestic panoramas in the Ardennes. Here, the Semois makes the most of the relief, constantly winding back and forth. The loop it forms in Botassart is so tight that an island is born in the heart of this green ocean, creating the formidable tomb of a giant said to have been struck down here.

Toerist information desk of Section locale du RSI de Bouillon

rue de Châteaumont

site du point de vue - 6833 Botassart

+32 (0)61/46.00.76

sibotassart@gmail.com

Did you know?

A ford enabled travellers, pedlars or soldiers of the time to cross the Semois and reach Bouillon. Opposite the mill stands the Hermit’s Rock (la Roche de l’Ermite). A hearth created in the rock provided shelter for a hermit-weaver in the late 17th century.

À Bouillon

K - Reception and tourist information site


La Maison du Tourisme du Pays de Bouillon

quai des Saulx, 12 - 6830 Bouillon

+32 (0)61/46.52.11

info@bouillon-tourisme.be

www.paysdebouillon.be

 

Open all year round from 10am to 5pm 

Closed on 25th December to 1st January

Le Syndicat d’Initiative de Bouillon (located at the entrance to the fortified castle)

esplanade Godefroid, 1 - 6830 Bouillon

+32 (0)61/46.62.57

info@bouillon-initiative.be

www.bouillon-initiative.be

À Bouillon

L - The Bouillon brewery


In the 1990s, two young enthusiasts of the region took up the challenge of creating a beer produced in Bouillon itself, intended to captivate both tourists and locals. When he first started, Jacques tested his knowledge and developed his know-how at the back of the shop run by Nathalie, his wife. He researched, developed a delicious beer and first tested it by selling it in the grocer’s store, the ‘Marché de Nathalie’. And it worked! He soon took the plunge: the Bouillon brewery was born. Its success has continued since 1998. The range of beers has been expanded, with something to suit every taste. The Blanche de Bouillon (blanche flavoured with coriander and orange peel), the Cuvée de Bouillon, the Bouillonnaise (brown), the Vauban (blonde) or the Saison des Chasses carry on the great success story of these two of lovers of Bouillon…

 




rue de la Girafe, 76
6830 Bouillon
Tel : 0032(0) 61 46 89 40
Web : www.brasseriedebouillon.be