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History and heritage ▪ |
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Habay - Anlier.Anlier, a picturesque Ardennes village which reaches 480 metres at its highest point, lies alongside one of the largest wooded areas in the country (7,000 hectares) which shares the same name: the Anlier forest. The village has retained a typically rural character. The history of Anlier is closely linked to the forests but also to the village church which has played an important role. |
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Habay - The Pont d'Oye, Châtelet, Bologne and La Trapperie sites.It is not just by chance that industrialists became interested in the Rulles valley in the 16th century. Two main factors attracted them to this area: water and the forest. The fast flowing Rulles and wide valley made this an ideal spot for locating a water-powered factory. With the forest being so close by, wood was readily available and could be transformed into wood charcoal as an excellent and essential fuel for producing iron. Five factories were established in a short time just a few kilometres apart, forming an industrial centre which flourished for more than two centuries and was at the heart of the development of Habay-la-Neuve and Habay-la-Vieille and of the valley as a whole. These fantastic sites now form part of our natural surroundings. Their current state sometimes makes it easy to forget the significance of man's efforts to the control course of the Rulles. |
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Habay - The ironworks.From the 16th century, the Rulles valley was opened up by industrialists eager to develop ironworking here. Two main factors attracted them to this area: the water provided hydraulic energy and the forest provided wood for charcoal which was used as a fuel in the production of iron. |
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Habay - Maurisse Grévisse.On 7th October 1895, Maurice Grevisse was born in Rulles, the son of an ironworker and Marie Emilie Michel, a seamstress. He only had eyes for his father whose calmness and 'good work' gave him a certain authority. As a blacksmith, he excelled in work which required patience and accuracy, notably when adding the 'teeth' to farm equipment such as the sickle. He attended 'the little school' run by Sister Agathe who always kept a box of crystallised sugar at the bottom of her pocket. Children who were good were allowed to lick their index finger (their 'good finger'!) and dip it into the sugar for a tasty reward. |
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Habay - The Mageroy Gallo-Roman villa.The site known as Mageroy, located close to the Nantimont road, is linked to the existence of ancient relics. In fact the term Maceriae, of Latin origin, refers to ancient remains. 1 km to the south of the village of Habay-la-Vieille, at the edge of the secondary mountains between Ardennes and Gaume, not far from the Rulles, excavations of the Mageroy villa unearthed an archaeological site of great importance. |
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Habay - Rulles, the village of bridges.There are in fact four footbridges and fourteen bridges in the village, two of which were blown up in 1940 where Pierre Coller, a Belgian serviceman, was killed. The village is bordered by the Rulles forest and the villages of Thibessart and Anlier to the north, Houdemont to the east, Marbehan to the west and Villers-sur-Semois to the south. Several streams and rivers flow through the village. The main one is the river Rulles which joins the Semois and has several tributaries - Mandebras, Mellier and the Wé, Pachi, Fourneau and Landeau streams. The altitude varies between 350 and 424 metres. |
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Accommodation Useful links | Contact © La Maison du tourisme du Pays de la Forêt d'Anlier | 2005 Maison Bourgeois, Grand place, 3, 6840 Neufchâteau. +32 (61) 27 50 88 | info@foret-anlier-tourisme.be |
