Neufchâteau   ▪

History and architecture
The course of the river
Grandvoir, the castle and ironworks
Hamipré, the church and the convent
The village of Lahérie
Longlier
The village of Massul
The Nolinfaing wash house
Le Sart
Engraved and scuplted shale: funerary monuments
Warmifontaine and the slate quarry

The course of the river.

Hydraulic power produced the motor power required by numerous small industries over the years. The Neufchâteau river which passes through the area never stops. Following it from the point where it enters the town to the point where it leaves.

Visitors quickly discover the remains of the old Chaurnô slate quarry which has now been transformed into a holiday gîte. The quarry dates from around 1700. Following various events, it was re-opened in 1780 by Dom Eugène Bertaux, prior of Longlier. It ceased its operations in around 1800 shortly after the arrival of the French. Fresh attempts at quarrying were made in 1919 in response to a great demand for construction materials following the devastation caused during the First World War. However, costs proved too high and quarrying was stopped in 1923.

A hundred metres further and there is the former Gérard tannery buildings. The tannery building is still visible, now transformed into a house, as is the tanning mill and in the 'rue de la Barquette' overhanging two buildings, the old dryer. The corporation for tanners and curriers existed as early as 1533. Its role was to regulate the leather industry and monitor the quality of the products sold. During a census of industries in the Luxembourg region in 1764, nine tanneries were listed in Neufchâteau. In 1855, five tanneries were recorded in Neufchâteau which sold their products in the surrounding area. The Gérard-Gofflot tannery also sold its reputable high quality products within the country; its products were awarded a first class medal at the industrial exhibition in Paris. After 1880, a decline set in. The first official figures from 1903 state that the five tanneries produced 34,900 kilos of leather.

Crossing over the highway, you come to the site of the old Sainte-Thérèse dairy which was producing butter until the 1970s. The activity then shifted to the industrial dairy in Recogne. ILA (currently Sudlac).

A bit further downstream and you come to a building on one side which is the last remaining sign of the Pierrard slate quarries. These quarries were active for some years shortly after the First World War, triggered by the increased demand for materials to be used in the reconstruction. They were also reopened after the Second World War for the same reason. A few years later, they closed for good. At the bottom of the castle is the dyke for the seigneurial mill. The mill, located to the right of the current dyke, dates from the same period as the new castle (11th century). Having become obsolete in the 1670s, it was probably reconstructed during this period. The miller would pay over a 24th of the produce to the land owner as rent (for a three year period) as well as certain other charges. He also had to ensure that his workers were not working in other mills. The mill was sold in 1807, having been impounded by the French authorities. While it retains its former shape today, it is in a very poor state of repair.

On the left of the dyke, two newly restored buildings are to become a river home. The Klepper mill, named after its last owner, dates from the end of the 18th century. In 1790, land owners allocated Joseph Roland-Egon the right to establish a bark and tobacco mill on the dyke of the lake. The mill quickly turned to grinding corn and rivalled the neighbouring mill. Following the death of Roland-Egon, ownership of the mill changed several times until it was finally purchased in 1838 by Célestin Bergh who already owned the old neighbouring mill. An oil and saw mill were built here. From 1914 to 1920, electricity for the village was produced here. Finally, the last owners of the mill used the site as a textile mill, body repair workshop and sawmill. Postcards from the start of the century show locals picnicking all along the millpond and skating on the frozen water in Winter. This leisure site was displaced downstream slightly with the creation of the lake at the end of the 1950s.

Two other buildings are noteworthy given their link with the water: a covered wash building – a vast Neo-classical structure situated at the back of the firemen's barracks and dating from 1859 and the water tower dating from 1897 – the installation of the first water distribution site, one of the oldest in the country. It is situated in the 'Avenue de la Gare'.