The best traffic-free bike rides around Wasseiges

Since 1965, the Oteppe castle and its surrounding estate (65 ha) have been run as a holiday centre ("L'Hirondelle") with a hotel, campsite, holiday chalets and bungalows, swimming pools, playground and fishing ponds; as a result, the village's population has almost doubled during the summer months.

nice place to go on holiday

The Château Rose was built by order of Albert-Pierre Stier (1745-1816). In 1776, he bought the seigniory of Orp, as it had been known since the end of the 17th century, when the land of Orp-le-Grand was merged with that of Orp-le-Petit. The pillory of Orp-le-Petit at the front is one of about fifty in Belgium that are listed by the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage. When our country was invaded by France in 1794, the French revolutionaries rushed to abolish the symbols of the Ancien Régime and the pillory was demolished. A few years later, around 1826, Baron Jean-François de Vinck de deux Orp (1774-1827), nephew of the builder of the castle, had the restored elements of the pillory rebuilt on his estate, more specifically in the central part of the meadow below the castle. Source: https://www.orp-jauche.be/wp-content/uploads/Brochure_PetitPatrimoinePopulaire_ORP.pdf

Beautiful castle with moat in the limestone of the region from the 13th century. It was long the property of Charles the Bold.

The domain is closed and the castle is partially covered in scaffolding. It is currently only visible from a distance.

Franc-Waret Castle is located in the commune of Fernelmont, in the province of Namur, Wallonia. It is surrounded by a moat and decorated with French-style gardens. An English-style garden extends over 120 hectares around the palace.

The church of Celles is probably the only church in Belgium dedicated to Saint Madelberta. To be honest: I had never heard of this saint before. Saint Madelberta was a Merovingian noblewoman who succeeded her deceased sister Aldetrudis as abbess of Maubeuge in 696. Madelberta was venerated quite soon after her death. It is not impossible that the convoy that brought her relics to Liège at the beginning of the 8th century stopped in Celles; after all, Celles was close to the Roman road that led from Bavay to Cologne. I was lucky enough to have a look inside the church. The friendly lady who let me in proudly pointed out the glass cabinet at the front right of the church; it contained relics of various saints (but not of Saint Madelberta?)

Heritage information about the station (description): This is a good example of a rural station that was built by the State Railways in 1908. Characteristic brick architecture in a particularly elaborate decorative design with bricks using bush-hammered natural stone blocks. A so-called 'logis des piocheurs' has also been preserved here. The Landen-Tamines line was abolished in 1959. Building built on an elongated floor plan consisting of: a main volume (home, waiting rooms 1st and 2nd class) of four bays and two storeys under a saddle roof (now with artificial slates, previously with natural slates), a low wing of seven bays (waiting room 3rd class, office, storage area) also under a saddle roof and on the other side an outbuilding (laundry, coal storage area and lampisterie) under a hipped roof. Architecture characterized by natural stone bush-hammered plinth, facades in red smooth brick with horizontal bands (yellow and gray brick) and wooden cornices with profiled cornice blocks. Natural stone blocks with the name of the station are incorporated in the facades. The interior was changed. Separate annex: the so-called 'logement des piocheurs' in half-timbered construction (wood and brick). In the garden of the station master there are two approximately one hundred year old yew trees. Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Station Racour, https://id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/200086